Managing Career and Sporting Transitions

Irrespective of what our career is, what sport we do, or what our personal life looks like, we all go through a number of points in our lives where major changes occur.  Our ability to prepare for and deal with these times of change - or transitions as they are popularly called - can be a major determinant of success both on and off the field. Dealing with small transitions successful can help us manage bigger, more significant transitions later in life.

Some of the major transitions that an athletes faces include:

• The transition from junior to senior competition
• The transition from school to university
• The transition from university to the world of work or full-time sport
• Retirement from sport

There may be a number of other significant transitions which have the potential to impact on your sport. These may include becoming a parent, changing coach, changing event, becoming an Olympian, or becoming famous.

Because of the difficulties many athletes experience, the retirement transition is the one which we hear the most about, and we have blogged about it to some extent here.  But the purpose of this post is to look at transitions in general, and highlight some of the skills required for smooth transitioning from one phase of your life to the next.

Transitions are often viewed as stressful events, with hurdles and pitfalls.  But that's not always the case.  Indeed many transitions bring with them new opportunities, and making the most of these opportunities can have long-lasting benefits.  The change of environment that often comes with a transition can also offer a fresh perspective of life, and of your sport, and renew the mind and soul for the sporting efforts that lie ahead.

Resilience can be helpful in dealing with the more difficult challenges that transitions bring. Check out last week's introduction to resilience post for more information.  These are some of the other steps that we can take to ensure smooth transitions from one phase of our lives to the next.

1. List all the things that will be changing

It’s often easier to face something if we know exactly what we’re facing, and when it comes to transitions, it’s a good idea to list all the things that well be changing.  Transitions such starting university involve more than just a change in the place of study, and can coincide with numerous other mini transitions.  The following are just some of the things that may be changing around that time:

• Moving city (or country)
• Living away from home for the first time
• Cooking for self
• Budgeting for self
• New teaching/learning styles
• Own responsibility to attend lectures
• New coach
• New training group
• Increased training load
• Moving from junior to senior competition
• New independence
• Living away from friends
• Legally old enough to drink alcohol

Once you have made a list of all the things that will be changing (location, educational, social and sporting), you can thing about which ones scare you, which ones will cause difficulty, and which ones you can prepare for.

2. Decide on your goals for the transition

In a previous post, we spoke about how goal setting can be the basis for all good lifestyle planning, and here is not exception.  If you know what the purpose of the transition is, and what you want to achieve following the transition, you can cope a lot better.  If you are changing training group because it is better for your longterm development, then it might be easier to manage transitions around that, and if you want to be an international athlete, the temptations of student life might be less tempting for you.  Goals help to keep you focused and manage your life.  They can also help motivate you to make a success of any transition that you are going through.

3. Plan and prepare

Much planning and preparation can be done in advance of a transition that will help overcome the potential hurdles.  Those planning for retirement can start to acquire new skills that will help increase their employment opportunities well in advance, and those due to start university in the next year or so can learn some of the skills that will help them to live on their own.  Set aside time to become proficient in cooking 3 or 4 different meals.  Avail of any one-off opportunities to meet or train with your new coach/training group in advance of the start of term.  Visit the university.  If driving will make the transition easier, make sure that you have passed your test in advance of starting term.

4. Speak to people that have undergone this transition

Taking the opportunity to speak to other individuals who have undergone the transition that you are about to face will help ease any concerns that you might have, and may highlight other preparation that you have to do.  Speaking to older athletes in your sport is a good starting point for those about to start university.

5. Discuss your concerns

If you have any concerns, or are anxious about the whole transition, be sure to speak to someone. Speaking through your concerns will help to distinguish between actual areas which you can prepare for, and issues which you are needlessly concerned about.  Through talking, you may also be able to find individuals who can help you with particular areas of preparation.  Writing down the things that scare you may also help.

6. Look forward to the opportunities that lie ahead

Each transition brings with it opportunities.  Transitions help us to grow and to ‘raise the bar’.  Don’t be afraid to get excited about these opportunities, and be ready to avail of other opportunities that result as a by product of the transition.

7. Keep some things consistent

You may also benefit from keeping something consistent in your life.  For athletes starting university, just continuing to compete in your sport will be that consistent thing.  Retiring athletes who walk the dog daily, for example, should continue to do so.  However, be careful here.  Trying to life your old life rather than availing of opportunities in your new life will only lead to regret.  If you feel that you need to make a clean break, do so.

We will look specifically at retirement transition planning in a future post.

Therapeutic Actions and Activities: The Key to Emotional Balance?

Too often we view therapy as something which only those with severe depression, anxiety or psychological issues undergo to 'fix' their problems.  But perhaps we can all benefit from taking part in therapeutic activities.  Maybe there are activities we can engage in on a regular basis to prevent depression, anxiety or other psychological issues, and prevent disappointments, anger and upsets from becoming long-term issues or affecting our performance.  It's only in recent years that I've noticed what I do to keep myself 'sane', and performing at my best, but having identified them allows me to keep a check on my emotions.  These are my top 4 therapeutic activities:

Writing

When I was young, I struggled with writing,  I was inadequately skilled to transfer the thoughts and images inside my head into anything resembling beautiful pros, but over time I have found joy in writing.  Simply putting words together gives me confidence and a sense of purpose, and I can't even begin to explain the sense of achievement obtained from writing and publishing a book.  And apparently I'm funnier when I write than when I talk!  But writing has a much broader benefit.  Putting my thoughts in writing can help keep me focused, reaffirm my goals, identify what is making me angry/confused/blue, and work through those issues.  Writing a blog or something which someone else is going to read, forces me to express my thoughts in a postive way.  Both myself and Rachael have written blogs that will never be published, but simply putting our thoughts on paper eradicated the confusion or anger that we were feeling, or helped us change our perspective on a particular situation.  If you are angry about something, try writing down your arguments for why you're angry, what the other person's perspective might be, and what you can do to fix it.  As you right, some of your opinions might change, and some of the anger abate.  Then you can look to sort out the real issues.  Don't underestimate the power of expressing yourself on paper!

Tidying up for someone else

If I'm feeling particularly blue, or stressed because things are slipping out of my control, something which gets me back on track, is sorting out an untidy store cupboard or an out-of-control attic for somebody else.  The more impossible the task seems, the harder I work to bring it under control, and the happier I become.  It's as if putting order on a seemingly uncontrollable mess makes my thoughts and emotions look a lot easier to manage.

Drawing up a plan

There are few things more motivational than ticking items off a to-do list, or crossing off sections of a weekly plan, but sometimes just putting the plan together in the first place can give you the kick start you need.  Putting  everything that needs to be done down on paper can help put order on chaos, and turn panic into calm.  Often we know that there's a lot to be done, but putting together a plan can help focus us. 

Running

Running has always been my sanctury.  Many a problem or conundrum has been sorted out in my head while on a run, and many big, life-changing decisions have been made over the course of a 5 or 6 mile run.  I find it difficult to run when angry, negative or highly stressed, and I don't like not to run, so those thoughts and and emotions are quickly turned into positive ones in order to let me get on with the business of running. Running also allows me time to dream and hatch plans to take over some aspect or other of the world.  Often I later realise that my dreams are unattainable or my plans unachievable, but every once in while I come up with a grand scheme that will change my life forever.

Singing in the shower, collecting sticks for the fire and walking the dog are just some of the other activities which help me turn negative thoughts or emotions into positive ones, and allow me to gain control over my life.

Talking is one of the most popular and effective forms of therapy, and it's true that a problem shared is a problem halved.  If you are feeling stress or down, or feel that your life is spiraling out of control, talk to someone.  Just getting things off your chest can make a worry or stress disappear.  However, always talking about your problems without any bias for action or motivation to change things, can be a very ineffective form of therapy.  Talking can sometimes reaffirm negative emotions such as anger or hatred, result in you asking for advice rather than making decisions for yourself, and waste a lot of time.  Always talking to the wrong person may lead you to moan, or wallow in self pity.  This, I feel, is why I find writing far more therapeutic.  With nobody taking my side, I have to work issues out for myself.  After all, there is nobody as expert in my life as I am, and we all have capacity to solve our own problems.  Talking can help us realise that, but we shouldn't just talk to those who will take our side, or tell us what to do.  In a future post, we will look at the role of talking as a form of therapy in more detail, and examine how it can be most effective.

You don't have to be down or depressed to engage in therapeutic activities.  Regularly engaging in therapeutic activity can help prevent depression, manage stress, make decisions and refocus on what's important, and simply doing things that we enjoy can help us maintain that all important 'balance' in life.  Find the activities and situations where you can best control your thoughts and emotions and engage in them when needed. 

It is said sport stars die twice, the first time at retirement

The announcement last week that Michael Phelps, the greatest swimmer of all time, was coming out of retirement and aiming to compete in the 2016 Olympics timed quite well with me finishing the autobiography This is Me,  Ian Thorpe’s journey out of retirement in his quest to qualify for the London Olympics, sadly unable to fulfil his dreams. 

I’ve heard the phrase that athletes come out of retirement an average of 1.6 times. I have probably contributed considerably to that statistic, retiring from swimming in 2006, retiring from pentathlon in 2010, retiring again from swimming in 2012 only to take up triathlon. Although I have never competed at the intense international level of Michael Phelps or Ian Thorpe, perhaps there are some similarities in the reasons why athletes come out of retirement whether they are amateur or professional. 

Other top names who have made a return to international sport after making the decision to end their career include Michael Schumacher, Ricky Hatton, Andrew Flintoff and James Cracknell.  So why do so many athletes struggle with retirement and make a return to sport?

Loss of identity - Athletes identify themselves by what they do - take that away and it’s like a major piece of them missing.

Sugar Ray Leonard said that his inability to separate the boxer from the man became all consuming, forcing him to the depths of depression and leading him to make repeated comebacks.

Biological Factors - Athletes who have retired fail to experience the endorphin highs since they no longer complete. They used to have regular doses of serotonin and suddenly that has stopped.  Athletes such as James Cracknell who don’t make a comeback in their former sport, chase adrenalin highs in other sports.

Tunnel Vision - An athlete’s regimented life leaves an athlete at loss with retirement bringing a void where the comfort of training routine once was.  

So how can athletes manage this transition?

There are two main differences between those who successfully manage their retirement and those who don’t. The reason why an athlete retires is important; if they are forced to retire through injury or de-selection the negativity can lead to a period of denial, isolation, anger and depression. The focus is a loss of way of life and not the beginning of a new one, a ‘grieving process’. The Professional Players Federation have found that 16% of the 1200 ex-footballers, rugby union and league players, jockeys and crickets interviewed experienced depression or feelings of despair.  

Those athletes who are better prepared and have plans in place of their retirement with a strong support group have a better acceptance for their decision and therefore manage the transition much more successfully. So how can athletes do this?

• Reduce the athlete’s exclusive identification with their sporting role and get involved in other areas of interest outside of their sporting career.
• Discover other interests or careers beyond their sporting career and begin to prepare for their retirement. Coaches should be encouraged to support their athletes skills outside of their sport
• Begin to take control of their daily routine
• Develop a strong support network of family and friends who can help support you through your retirement.

This is Me is a good example of some of the challenges athletes face in coming out of retirement. Ian Thorpe retired from swimming at the age of 24 after reaching his goals and achieving more than he could have dreamed of in the sport. The media was cited as being one of the main reasons why he quit the sport with the athlete fed up of the paparazzi that surrounded him. However, he loved the sport and ending his career created a void in his life. He missed the training, the competition and ‘swimming’ itself and  four years later, at the age of 28, he decided to return to the sport and attempt to make the London Olympics. 

The book goes on to describe the motivation for his return, how he managed his comeback and the setbacks and challenges he had to face along the way; the media, doping conspiracies and speculations against his sexuality and even though feedback from performances in training indicated he was on track, his performances in the Australian Olympic Trials were unable to secure him a placed at the 2012 Olympic Games. 

If he had made the decision earlier, given himself more than 18 months to prepare, would he have made the team?

Goal setting: the key to lifestyle management?

Earlier this week I delivered a workshop to a group of talented young athletes.  We covered topics such as goal setting, time management and decision making, in that order, which was planned, but was only as we were discussing each topic, that it really dawned on me, just how important goals are to every aspect, not only of sport, but of life outside and beyond sport.  Knowing what you achieve is paramount in managing time, and it's a lot easier to make decisions, when we know what we want to achieve in the short, medium and long term.

Not all goals are made consciously.  High performing athletes will set goals for each session that they do, without realising that they have even done so.  Some days it will just be to get the session done; other days it'll be to perform a personal best on repetition.  After years of training and competing, goals in the performance setting will just come naturally.  Goals are not so easy in an unfamiliar environment, like when we are injured, or when we're planning for life after sport.  Considerable thought is often required in these situations.


Coping with Injury
Setting goals can be a great way to overcome injury.  You don't have to think about what you want to achieve after the injury - this often results in over-compliance to rehab programmes, and rushing back to training before you're ready - but think about the process goals that will help you get the most out of your time off.  Depending on the individual, the sport, and the injury, these are some goals that you might set for yourself while injured:

1. To undertake all exercises prescribed by they physiotherapist each and every day of rehab - no more and no less
2. To take up a new hobby, which I will practice daily (when I would normally be training), to take the focus away from the injury and not being able to compete
3. To carry out a period of mental imagery each day in which I will focus on perfect technique
4. To have a massage once every two weeks
5. To use the downtime to catch up on dental appointments and other things that normally detract from training
6. To maintain a structured routine

Not all goals need to be performance goals, and outcome and process goals are especially important during times of injury, illness, transition, or poor form.


Managing your time
Over the years of working with high performance athletes, I have noticed that those who manage to fit the most into their lives, are the ones who know what they want to achieve in both sport and outside of sport.  I've come across medical students who have managed to compete at an international level, and triathletes who can fit training for three sports around being a full-time student.  There are enough hours in the week - we just need to be motivated enough to use them wisely.

When planning for the week, it's a good idea to write down a few goals for the week; plan our time; and then reflect on whether or not our allocation of time is reflective of what we want to achieve in that week.  There is no special wand which will suddenly make us 'time-managed' but know what we want to achieve will make us more efficient with out time.


Making decisions
We all have important decisions to make from time to time - what subjects do we choose for A-levels/Leaving Cert? Which university do we attend? What will we do after university? Is it a good idea to become full-time athletes? Do we want children? Is it time to retire?  For some of us, these decisions will be made, or the options at least narrowed down naturally, but for many, we have to actively make the effort to wade through the options and decide what we are going to do next.  This takes energy and effort which we would probably prefer to conserve for training, but not making a decision, and leaving it to sit on the back of our minds, can use a lot more energy.  Decisions are important!

Knowing what are goals are can greatly help when making decisions.  If your sport is the most important thing in your world, then make sure that you choose a university where you have the facilities, coaching and environment to maintain your training.  There are rarely any right or wrong choices, but if your goals can't be achieved by the decisions that you have made, you are unlikely to lead a satisfied life.   Making decisions based on your goals also prevents you making them for the wrong reasons, or making them to keep others happy.


In summary, goals don't just help us to preform better - they help us decide what is important to us, to decide what we want to achieve in life, how to transition from one phase of life to the next, to deal with injury, to manage our time, and to make decisions.  They are the key to managing our lifestyle, whether that be as a student-athlete, retiring sportstar, or active mother.  Goal setting is the key to lifestyle management.