2024-08-01 18:00:54
Not everything is success, trophies and medals. Professor Alberto Valle tells us what happens when pressure burns athletes and why mental health is so important in sport.
It seems unimaginable that someone who has devoted many years to serious training would decide to quit. However, Alberto Valle, psychologist and religious of elite athletes, clearly stated: “I know athletes who come to get real hate for the sport they play”.
The pressure to show results, the need to show something to the audience and the economic conditions to be in the limelight can take a toll on the mental health of athletes. Sometimes you start a career at a young age, designed to be the best of the best, you wear your spirits down and become unsustainable.
That is why the support of sports scientists becomes important. Above all, in situations in which the risk increases, such as major championship days or the Olympic Games themselves.
When can we say that he is an athlete sleeping?
Being bored and not feeling fulfilled with the action of what we love is something that has a lot of history in sports. Since the 1980s There are records of athletes with symptoms of emotional exhaustion and depression.
The word sleeping —”an sun”, in Spanish— refers to a state of extreme physical and mental fatigue, caused by chronic and prolonged stress. Alberto Valle, psychologist of high performance athleteslist the following symptoms of arthritis among athletes:
- Lack of concentration.
- Appearance of eating and sleeping problems.
- Feeling of physical weakness that does not improve with rest.
- Lack of interest in the results or progress of your work.
- Conflicts with the coach, with teammates and even with family.
- Absences from training or a reduction in their intensity.
- Decreased perception of self-efficacy. The athlete feels incompetent.
There are no laboratory tests to diagnose sleeping among athletes. What mental health professionals do is assess symptoms through consultations and questionnaires, such as Questionnaire Warming up in sportsmen (ABQ, for its acronym in English).
In which sports is it most common?
“Each sport has its own challenges”clarifies Valle. “The degree of discipline is more important than the fact that it is individual or collective”Add to.
However, for experts, there are some sports in which they have specific characteristics in their favor sleepingas follows:
- Exercise: In all its forms, it is constantly striving for perfection. Additionally, athletes are subject to a score that is subjective in nature. After years of training and dedication, in a few seconds we execute and we receive an assessment with which one may not agree.
- Fight: Wrestling, martial arts, and boxing are all potential injuries. Regardless of winning or losing, he is unlikely to get hurt and have to deal with future damage.
- Soccer: Today, the big sponsors and the million-dollar figures he carries, with public exposure for fame, cause great trouble.
Is it the same to have sleeping Do you suffer from anxiety or depression?
Simone Biles (cover photo) is, perhaps, the most recent and notable example of a famous athlete affected by the stress of competition. During the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, he decided to retire and did not compete in a few finals because he felt that he could not concentrate and this was his predisposition to physical injury.
A little while ago, Michael Phelps’ story of struggling with depression became public. After winning several gold medals at the 2016 Rio Olympics, she temporarily retired from professional competition, saying she had to deal with suicidal thoughts. Another Olympic swimmer, Australian Ian Thorpe, was affected by mental health disorders that placed him in a very vulnerable position.
Now, we must distinguish between those sleeping and other specific studies, emphasizes Alberto Valle. Being burned out is not the same thing as having chronic depression or a general anxiety disorder.
Related symptoms can appear and cause confusion, because, “Both sleep and other emotional disorders have the same fate leading to the end of sports practice if they are not treated in time”he said religious.
Burnout can lead to the appearance of binomial anxiety / depression.
~Alberto Valle
Wise to avoid sleeping among athletes
The expert was strong when we asked him what should be done to prevent the athlete from burning out and losing his passion: «The race has to feel that it is not the only producer of results Valle Details-; “He is a human being and we must let him participate in the management of his work.”.
In fact, the coach has many management skills is associated with increased risk to suffer sleeping. On the contrary, support and support for athletic activity as a protective factor.
By means of a network of communications, Valle asserts that all relationships can play a role in mental health. The family will be supported if it is functional and the house is known as a place of comfort. For your part, “The coach and teammates are the key for the athlete to feel love and support, not just receiving requests.”.
Physical condition, in turn, is an athletic performance tool. Training must include rest and recovery periods to prevent injuries. Well, most of the time, they are the cause of stress and withdrawal.
What is the role of the exercise psychologist in the prevention of sleeping of athletes?
“In high competition, the absence of a sports scientist is not understood”said Alberto Valle. From his professional experience, the religious He told us that his work covers different points with the client:
- Values and ethics.
- Weak points.
- Management of complaints.
- A way of understanding life.
- Prediction of future problems.
“A sports psychologist with health training will always seek the well-being of his client more than the results”said Valle. But he also noticed that both issues are not compatible.
You can not expect high performance without mental health protection. This is an unquestioned principle today.
Mental health is a central part of sport
Practicing a game discipline isn’t just about training yourself. At high levels and in prestigious areas, such as the Olympic Games, Prolonged stress can have devastating consequences.
This is why sports psychologists are becoming increasingly popular. Your work is important to achieve a balance between training and personal care.
In fact, it is about building a healthy sports culture. The highest possible goal without burning out is a possible destination.
#fire #athlete #pressing