Mindfulness can alleviate symptoms of burnout

Youth athletes face a number of stressors every day. School work, relationships, friend groups, pressure to fit in … Those are all mentally draining by themselves. Add sports and the pressure to compete at a high level, and it can all be overwhelming to a teen athlete just trying to take things day-by-day.

Not only do athletes feel pressure to compete during the season, the off-season has become intense, too. And for some athletes, the season never ends. Take volleyball for example. The standard high school volleyball season lasts from roughly August through November. There is typically a two month break before club season starts up, and it is non-stop again until November.

It isn’t only volleyball. That was simply the example. This can be true in any sport. Baseball and softball have become year-round sports with indoor and outdoor seasons, basketball plays through the spring and summer months, and elite level tennis athletes compete in high-level tournaments at all times of the year.

Consider training hours, practice time, extra skill lessons, and competition schedules. We haven’t even got to the homework and possible tutoring sessions. All of this combined can lead to daily fatigue, mental stress, and possible injury. This is more commonly known as burnout.

Burnout is a syndrome that consists of exhaustion, both physically and emotionally, as a result of the intense demands of training and competing. It can also include a reduced sense of accomplishment, and in some cases, a devaluation of the sport they once loved. According to a study published in the American Academy of Pediatrics (Brenner 2024), 70 percent of the more than 60 million youth athletes participating in organized sports choose to discontinue participation by the age of 13. Injury and burnout are the two primary causes for attrition in youth sports.

Is there a way around this, or is it just the way it is going to be?

There are ways to remedy burnout, and one is through practicing mindfulness. Mindfulness is defined as a present-moment attention and awareness. It helps athletes take a step back from the experiences that are causing them stress. Rather than avoiding these negative thoughts, the athlete can become more aware of them to avoid future occurrences.

 Burnout can be seen through three dimensions:

·         Emotional and physical exhaustion – feelings of emotional and physical fatigue resulting from the physical and psychological demands of training and competing.

·         Reduced sense of accomplishment – feelings of low confidence and viewing oneself negatively as it relates to sport performance and overall accomplishments.

·         Sport devaluation – a negative, detached attitude toward the sport. The athlete could become indifferent to their own performance because they have simply lost interest.

By using mindfulness-based interventions, an athlete can improve their focus and overall performance. The goal is to assist the athletes in being present in the current moment. This can reduce anxiety, worry, and free themselves from the distractions that may be holding them back from their potential so they can get back to not only enjoying the sport they once loved, but play it at a high level.

Youth sports are intended to be a fun, offering an enjoyable experience that promotes physical activity and builds characteristics that will help them later in life such as leadership skills, confidence-building, and encouraging healthy habits. If, however, that positive experience turns into a stressor, the goal is lost and that once enjoyable activity becomes a memory. By taking breaks during the year, getting adequate rest between training and competitions, finding activities outside of the sport that offer variety, and practicing mindfulness, athletes can continue competing without experiencing burnout.