How athletes can cope with losing sports
For all athletes, sports are temporary. At some point, our bodies do not allow us to continue playing, and we’re faced with grieving this loss. Fortunately, we can apply the many lessons and skills developed throughout our involvement in sports to manage these complex emotions, to find suitable replacements to meet our needs and to move forward in life with hope, gratitude and peace.
Sports often play a critical role in athletes’ psychological health. To borrow from Dr. Martin Seligman's PERMA-V model of psychological well-being, sports represent:
- Pleasurable activities: enjoyment in the moment and creating multiple positive emotions
- Engagement: a sense of holistic focus and concentration, hence the term “in the zone”
- Relationships: social connectedness and unity toward a common goal
- Meaning: personal identity as an athlete and/or as a member of a team
- Achievement: sharing in big and small successes, representing many hours and days spent in preparation and training without immediate payoff
- Vitality: supporting physical health and fitness
Seeking alternatives to sports
First ask, "In what ways did I benefit from sports?" The answer to this question may spark possible short-term or long-term replacements for sport. Here are a few ideas.
| If sports provided… | Then I can try to… | In order to obtain… |
|---|---|---|
| Enjoyment | Anything that provides a good mood boost for a few minutes or hours! Explore new interests or hobbies about which you may have daydreamed | Pleasurable activities |
| Feeling "in the zone" | Practice mindfulness or read a book from your favorite genre | Engagement |
| Connection with teammates | Zoom/phone calls with teammates, plan activities with friends or family members | Relationships/connectedness |
| Connection to a greater goal | Volunteer for a cause in which you believe strongly | Meaning or purpose |
| A sense of accomplishment | Start long-term projects that take time to mature (gardening, certifications, self-improvement) Learn a new skill (cooking, musical instrument) | Achievement |
| Physical activity | Individual physical activities (running, biking, swimming, weightlifting) | Vitality |
Replacing sports with other things requires creative thinking, which is difficult in the midst of grief. Others in your life can help you. Together, you can promote a realistically hopeful and optimistic outlook toward the future.
