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?
You know, if you train well, the outcomes will show what progress you've made with it. Up until the point you get on the blocks, you've set your goals, trained to your goals, you've done the work. There is nothing more you can do than relax and enjoy the ride of the labor you've put in. If you are true to yourself and the work you've put towards your goals, it will show, so why not have fun with it? That said, you still get butterflies, but that's the body's way of telling you, "I'm amped up and ready to race!!" :) You can do this, Betty. Just have fun.
You know, if you train well, the outcomes will show what progress you've made with it. Up until the point you get on the blocks, you've set your goals, trained to your goals, you've done the work. There is nothing more you can do than relax and enjoy the ride of the labor you've put in. If you are true to yourself and the work you've put towards your goals, it will show, so why not have fun with it? That said, you still get butterflies, but that's the body's way of telling you, "I'm amped up and ready to race!!" :) You can do this, Betty. Just have fun.
