FEARLESSNESS: Conquer Anxiety in Sport

Athletes thrive in environments that are stable and predictable with well organized training plans. When athletes establish predictable training plans and routines they can better mitigate the fear that is inherent in the unpredictability of sport. At present, the world is experiencing instability at a level few of us have ever seen. Fears regarding our own health and the health of our loved ones is at a heightened state. Beyond our most basic fears athletes have experienced a loss of stability and predictability. Well crafted routines have been shattered and a sense of the unknown has settled into every part of life. Training plans that were finely tuned to specific competitions have evaporated along with the competitions themselves. Along with the rest of the world, athletes are sitting in a sea of uncertainty which can be a recipe for fostering fear. I follow a handful of elite athletes on social media and I am heartened to see how well they seem to be coping well. Athletes are generally resilient by nature. I am not surprised to see so many of them acting as leaders who are making efforts to inspire others. They are sharing their home training plans and devising creative ways to maintain fitness and athletic sharpness. However, on social media we usually don’t get to see the fear and anxiety that athletes are going through during this difficult moment in time. Careers are on hold and athletes whose sports do not have lucrative sponsorships might have to make major life decisions if the situation persists. Younger atheltes are also coping with the disappointment of losing seasons, uncertainty about potential college careers and loss of growth in their sport.

Athletes must reevaluate goals in order to find purpose and direction, but it can be difficult to set goals without clear timelines. This situation has some similarities to an injury where an athlete cannot engage in their usual practices and competition. The fear of whether an injury will permanently diminish skills can be intense. But this is also quite different than an injury layoff. For many athlete’s their bodies are trained and ready to go. Many will maintain great fitness levels through shear determination and creativity. Sharpness might suffer somewhat, particularly in highly technical sports that require training partners or specific venues and equipment. Also, there is no substitute for “playing together” in team sports where communication and trust are crucial. All of this will hopefully return sooner than later and athletes can get back to the sports they love.

But right now a big part of our fear pertains to the individual and collective loss we are experiencing in all manners existence. Our “conquering fear” program was originally conceived to help athletes cope with anxieties within the boundaries of sport. The principles we discuss of course can be applied to all aspects of life. There are no simple fixes for athletes, but we can continue to understand our relationship with fear and find growth if we value loss. Most importantly, we can talk openly and find support from others when we understand that our fear is shared. The ideas within this program are geared toward the individual but they will be most effective if they are discussed with our teammates, coaches and loves ones. If nothing else, this moment is helping us understand how connected we all are.

We can distance socially so as not to hurt each other while becomming more intimately connected. When we become more intimate with our families, communities and the larger world we gain strength and resiliency together.