How stress is affecting your athletic performance in and out of the saddle
Stress. The dreaded S word. We’ve all experienced it, we’ve all been a victim of it at some point in our lives. Have you been stressed out and think “I’m going to hit the gym and sweat it off” or “I’m going to get a ride in to de-stress”? Sometimes this mentality may become problematic and lead to burnout.
Stress can diminish our athletic performance in and out of the saddle. When we’re stressed, our workouts don’t seem to be as enjoyable, our rides tend to feel awful and all in all you just feel off.
Not to say that stress isn’t beneficial to a degree, some athletes thrive off of stress and perform at their optimal level when under extreme stress, but some athletes (like me), experience extreme anxiety when cortisol levels are too high. Everyone tolerates stress differently and the key is to identify the stressors and knowing how to manage it before it negatively impacts your daily life.
Stressors can be external or internal. External stressors arise from things that are happening around us and from the environment and internal stressors include feelings and expectations. When you can identify what type of stressor triggers you the most, you are one step closer into applying coping mechanisms to decrease or alleviate the stress.
Most, if not all of us equestrians will at some point in their riding career face internal stressors when riding. Feelings of self-doubt and inadequacy, expectations from trainers and coaches may lead us to not performing the best in the saddle. When these feelings arise, it may cause physical symptoms such as low quality sleep, increase muscle tension and tightness, elevated heart rate and increase in hormonal levels to name a few.
If you’ve noticed that you have been experiencing some of these symptoms, here are some ways to manage the stress before it becomes a bigger issue and further affects your performance in the saddle.
Add de-stressing activities to your daily routine
Don’t forget to make time for activities that allow you to de-stress! It may be painting, or listening to music, or even meditating. Try using breathing techniques when you are feeling overwhelmed or anxious.Rest. Avoid over-training
When you are extremely stressed, over training is counter productive and may lead to injury, or a further decline in athletic performance. Be aware of when your body is telling you that you need to rest, and allow your body to rest instead of aggravating the stress and over-training when it is too much for your body to handle.
Eat a well balanced diet and stay hydrated
I have heard people “stress eat” way too often. When you are stressed, it is even more important to stay eating a well balanced diet and limit junk foods. Oily, sugary and high fat foods when consumed excessively can lead to your body feeling sluggish, may cause an upset stomach and decrease quality in sleep. Be sure to fuel your body with nutritious foods and stay hydrated!
Create time for yourself
If all you do is think about training and everything in your daily routine revolves around it, you will inevitably be burned out and cause even more stress. Make time for yourself everyday and practice self-care everyday. Something as simple as putting a face mask on at night, taking a bath, reading a book you’ve been meaning to read can all help you alleviate any unwanted stress.
Find out where the stress is coming from
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. If you keep finding yourself getting stressed from the same thing, maybe you need to a) stop doing whatever it is or b) find a different way of doing whatever it is that you are doing. If watching the news is making you stressed, turn off the tv and delete news apps. If your trainer is making you stressed by screaming at you and making you feel inadequate, maybe it is time to change trainers.Create a short, positive mantra for yourself
Writing down a short, positive statement that you can repeat to yourself when you feel the symptoms of stress can help you calm down, and feel more positive. Short statements like “I got this, I can handle this” or “I am able, I am enough” that you can repeat in your head will be able to help lower your stress levels immensely.
Remember that stress isn’t necessarily all bad, but any stress can lead to chronic stress that can negatively affect our long term mental health and performance in the saddle. Knowing where the stress comes from can allow you to find ways to avoid it and developing coping mechanisms can help you fight it!
