I'm thinking the level of anxiety I have leading up to meets, especially championships, is telling me competition is not worth it for me. I wish I could see myself improving through a season so that I can be excited to find out how fast I'm going to race at the end of it. Unfortunately, I'm at that age where I'm only getting slower, and I don't have the technical background to draw upon that some others do. I always feel relieved just after a big meet, but in the months and weeks leading up to one, I have anxiety even going to the practice pool. I dread the fact that I'm facing work, not leisure. That almost guarantees a bad practice. 'Sounds crazy doesn't it? Is it time for me to quit competing? In re-reading my first sentence I'm considering, maybe I need a therapist to help me learn what small reward keeps me going back to something so stressful, or to figure out how to give myself permission to quit. I saw a video on USA swimming in which they mention, Ryan Murphy used to puke before big events. That was a little validating. So how do you forumites manage your anxiety? Or if you don't have any, how did you achieve that serenity?
Betty, I’m sorry you are struggling with the anxiety of competition. Please know that you are not alone. You should have seen me at my first Nationals (Atlanta, 2010)! I had just joined USMS two months before, and it was only my second Masters meet. I can empathize, completely, because I was a mess!
I think the key to dealing with your anxiety is this sentence: “I dread the fact that I’m facing work, not leisure.” You’re not having any fun, and swimming should be ALL about fun! Once you figure out how to make it fun again, everything will fall into place.
My suggestions, and I am speaking from personal experience:
1. Try to not to put pressure on yourself! You are “working” the entire season leading up to one big meet—the biggest meet of the year (Nationals). That’s a lot of self-imposed pressure! Have you considered taking a pass on such a pressure-filled (for you) meet and participating in smaller, local meets instead? The more meets you participate in, the more opportunities you will have to test yourself and reap the rewards of your practices. In addition, the more you race, the more comfortable you will feel with it. Dealing with nerves, like anything else, takes practicing positive self-talk! If you decide to do smaller meets and still go to Nationals as well, forget time goals for your races and set a goal of meeting ___ new people, instead. Make it a social event!
2. How about signing up for a meet and racing all new events—even ones you don’t train in practice? Designate the meet as your “No Goals” meet, and don’t put any expectations on yourself in terms of the clock. Just try to swim each race with your best technique, and enjoy your time in the pool. If you start getting nervous in the days leading up to the meet, remind yourself that you have no goals for the meet except to just have fun!
3. Give yourself a break from competition if you would like, and volunteer as a timer instead. (Admittedly, I never got to this point by choice. The choice was made for me when I was recovering from hip surgery. I wanted to race, but I wasn’t healed yet, so I timed for the meet instead.)
4. Regarding getting slower at your age, the goal is to get slower, slower. Getting slower is inevitable for all of us at some point, so just do what you can to slow that process down. Remember, it’s different for all of us, and it can happen at a different pace for each event (or stroke). At 56, I recently swam my fastest 50 meter breaststroke since 2012; however, ALL of my other events have gotten much slower. Slowing down may happen to others at 46 or 76; we’re all different.
5. Most importantly, do whatever you need to do to keep wanting to go to the pool to practice. If quitting competition for awhile will help bring back your passion for swimming, then take the rest of the year (or longer) off from meets. Swimming is supposed to be something you do for yourself for enjoyment, not dread, so have fun by bringing new toys to the pool, training for a new event, trying some new sets, or whatever else it takes to bring back that enjoyment.
Whatever you do, just keep swimming! :cheerleader:
Betty, I’m sorry you are struggling with the anxiety of competition. Please know that you are not alone. You should have seen me at my first Nationals (Atlanta, 2010)! I had just joined USMS two months before, and it was only my second Masters meet. I can empathize, completely, because I was a mess!
I think the key to dealing with your anxiety is this sentence: “I dread the fact that I’m facing work, not leisure.” You’re not having any fun, and swimming should be ALL about fun! Once you figure out how to make it fun again, everything will fall into place.
My suggestions, and I am speaking from personal experience:
1. Try to not to put pressure on yourself! You are “working” the entire season leading up to one big meet—the biggest meet of the year (Nationals). That’s a lot of self-imposed pressure! Have you considered taking a pass on such a pressure-filled (for you) meet and participating in smaller, local meets instead? The more meets you participate in, the more opportunities you will have to test yourself and reap the rewards of your practices. In addition, the more you race, the more comfortable you will feel with it. Dealing with nerves, like anything else, takes practicing positive self-talk! If you decide to do smaller meets and still go to Nationals as well, forget time goals for your races and set a goal of meeting ___ new people, instead. Make it a social event!
2. How about signing up for a meet and racing all new events—even ones you don’t train in practice? Designate the meet as your “No Goals” meet, and don’t put any expectations on yourself in terms of the clock. Just try to swim each race with your best technique, and enjoy your time in the pool. If you start getting nervous in the days leading up to the meet, remind yourself that you have no goals for the meet except to just have fun!
3. Give yourself a break from competition if you would like, and volunteer as a timer instead. (Admittedly, I never got to this point by choice. The choice was made for me when I was recovering from hip surgery. I wanted to race, but I wasn’t healed yet, so I timed for the meet instead.)
4. Regarding getting slower at your age, the goal is to get slower, slower. Getting slower is inevitable for all of us at some point, so just do what you can to slow that process down. Remember, it’s different for all of us, and it can happen at a different pace for each event (or stroke). At 56, I recently swam my fastest 50 meter breaststroke since 2012; however, ALL of my other events have gotten much slower. Slowing down may happen to others at 46 or 76; we’re all different.
5. Most importantly, do whatever you need to do to keep wanting to go to the pool to practice. If quitting competition for awhile will help bring back your passion for swimming, then take the rest of the year (or longer) off from meets. Swimming is supposed to be something you do for yourself for enjoyment, not dread, so have fun by bringing new toys to the pool, training for a new event, trying some new sets, or whatever else it takes to bring back that enjoyment.
Whatever you do, just keep swimming! :cheerleader:
