Hi everyone,
Well the title above is kind of the gist of what this post will be about. I am starting my fourth season as master swimmer and am a bit sad about my attitude and feelings towards swimming competitions. I get very nervous before competitions. Vomiting or gagging frequently accompany me on days where I have competitions. I have been doing competitions now for the past two years and unfortunatly I don't feel as if it is getting any better. I understand that some nervouseness is normal, and in fact functional, but my anxiety feels like it is far from it. It is struggle to actually go to the competition and by the time I get there, I already feel mentally tired. I swim, but I don't feel like I can really give my all.
I have tried getting myself to enjoy competitions but lately I have started playing with the idea that maybe these competitions are simply not worth it for me. And that is fine.
Can anyone relate?
QuitarQueen
Yeah, anxiety is normal when doing something new. At 71 I'm no stranger to competition. I did road and track races for 40 years. I did shot put for 25 years. I can do very little of that any longer because of arthritis. I can only walk, no running, jumping or twisting. So I got into masters swimming since there is no impact on the joints or spine. I entered my first swim meet in 2016, have done 3 pool meets, one open water race, and 3 indoor triathlons. I'm a bundle of nerves, not because I fear competition, but because I'm untested at these events and don't know what to expect. Don't know how my body will respond. The solution is to do more of them and learn.
Yeah, anxiety is normal when doing something new. At 71 I'm no stranger to competition. I did road and track races for 40 years. I did shot put for 25 years. I can do very little of that any longer because of arthritis. I can only walk, no running, jumping or twisting. So I got into masters swimming since there is no impact on the joints or spine. I entered my first swim meet in 2016, have done 3 pool meets, one open water race, and 3 indoor triathlons. I'm a bundle of nerves, not because I fear competition, but because I'm untested at these events and don't know what to expect. Don't know how my body will respond. The solution is to do more of them and learn.
