The Mental Performance Corner: Mid-Season Burnout - How to Identify It and How to Handle It

Burn out.

THE topic of a lot of my 1:1 sessions the past few weeks. 

Athletes who are heading towards burnout typically display:

• Constant fatigue
• Grades drop
• Performance is subpar
• Body starts to break down (injuries present or they simply get sick repeatedly)
• Motivation dips (it becomes a struggle to get them to practice)
• They become irritable/cranky, less talkative, constantly zoning out… 

Over the past decade we have shifted into this culture of the “never ending season.” No longer do we allow for down time to rest, recover, recuperate. Seasons end and kids are thrown onto spring/summer teams, endless camps/private lessons, summer recruiting tournaments, and intense training regimens. Always being pushed and pressured to do more, more, more.

STOP. 

It’s called the OFF season for a reason. Read articles on any professional athlete. They took time off when they were supposed to. They played other sports. Nurtured other hobbies. They hung out with their friends and enjoyed being a kid. 

Pushing your child to constantly be doing more, not allowing them time to recover physically, mentally, emotionally.. Not only WILL they burn out, but you are also doing them a huge disservice - setting them up for physical and psychological damage. 

Will they tell you they feel off or like they may need a break? Of course not. They are on a constant mission to make you proud. The thought of disappointing you by telling you something they think you don’t want to hear causes feelings of shame, sadness, fear, panic, anxiety. .

On the flip side, sometimes athletes really don't want to stop playing. Their sport is still so much fun for them and they have a deep love for it. Something I can personally relate to. You as the parent need to step up and implement a “we take breaks and do other things in the off-season rule.” They are kids. They don’t understand the damage of not doing so.

Noticed this mid-season burnout? Scroll down to see my tips to help athletes through it. The best thing you can do is to let them take time off. Talk to them. Let them know they don’t have to run themselves raggad to make you proud. 

Keep in mind that they may not bounce back from this. Burnout sneaks up on us and sometimes it’s too late to recover from it. If that’s the case, be supportive. Let them know it’s ok. Their health and well-being are what’s important. 

For more info/tips on this subject, check out my free PDF on Sport & Identity. The presentation focuses on depression in athletes upon retirement. Depression and burnout are very closely related and the information provided, as well as the tips and action plan for prevention can and should be applied throughout every athletes career. Starting in youth sports! 

Link to free PDF

Tips to help with mid-season burnout:

1. Talk to them. Openly and without judgement. 
2. Let them know it’s ok to tell you how they are feeling.
3. Winter break from school is here → Keep them home from practice if you can.
   • If they must go, help them set the intention to focus solely on the fun of it (remind them of how they felt when they were a kid and they first started playing - those are the feelings we are aiming for).
   • Holiday tournaments get tricky.. Especially if this is a recruiting year for them (Which is exactly why they should be taking breaks in the off season! This is literally the exact thing you want to avoid) If they have holiday tournaments, implement the break afterwards. Hopefully they will still have time off school so they can have some time to do absolutely nothing.
4. And then as soon as the season is over. “Hang em up.” →
   • Play other sports.
   • Investigate and Nurture other hobbies. 
   • Let them hang out with their friends and enjoy being a kid.

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