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?
Oh, how I can relate! 'Margo, I felt exactly the same way about ALL of the meets I competed in over the first few years I was in Masters. It wasn't really until after my 2014 hip surgery that I came to terms with my new post-hip-repair reality and put it all in perspective.
I still get butterflies (especially before the 200 butterfly!), but I choose to interpret it as excitement and tell myself it's normal, and I'll be ok. Past experience has always proven that I'm fine once I hit the water and get that first race out of the way. I also remind myself of how good all feel when I finish that last race!
I think it's great that you are pushing yourself out of your comfort zone. That is how you grow as a person, prove to yourself what you are capable of accomplishing, and gain self-confidence. The more you do it, the greater the benefits. I look back on who and how I was as a person in 2010 when I first started competing in Masters, and where I am now. I may be a lot slower due to my physical limitations; however, I am definitely more comfortable and more confident It has been well worth it!
Oh, how I can relate! 'Margo, I felt exactly the same way about ALL of the meets I competed in over the first few years I was in Masters. It wasn't really until after my 2014 hip surgery that I came to terms with my new post-hip-repair reality and put it all in perspective.
I still get butterflies (especially before the 200 butterfly!), but I choose to interpret it as excitement and tell myself it's normal, and I'll be ok. Past experience has always proven that I'm fine once I hit the water and get that first race out of the way. I also remind myself of how good all feel when I finish that last race!
I think it's great that you are pushing yourself out of your comfort zone. That is how you grow as a person, prove to yourself what you are capable of accomplishing, and gain self-confidence. The more you do it, the greater the benefits. I look back on who and how I was as a person in 2010 when I first started competing in Masters, and where I am now. I may be a lot slower due to my physical limitations; however, I am definitely more comfortable and more confident It has been well worth it!
