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
Perhaps your approach to swim meets need to change. I will add that I suffer from PTSD and I have missed my fair share of swim meets that I have entered. My biggest problem is the anxiety that has prevented me from getting to the swim meet especially if it is a local one that is less than a 90 minute drive. The other problem is for the multi-day swim meets is that instead of vomiting, I spend a lot of time in the men's room.
The key for me is to get to the pool. The approach that I take is to go to farther swim meets where I need to arrive a day or two before the meet. I am more relaxed beforehand as I treat it like a vacation with a swim meet as one of the activities. If I travel without any teammates, then I try to meet people and make new friendships. I also go without any expectations other than to harvest some endorphins for my PTSD. I just try to relax and have fun and that seems to work for me.
Perhaps your approach to swim meets need to change. I will add that I suffer from PTSD and I have missed my fair share of swim meets that I have entered. My biggest problem is the anxiety that has prevented me from getting to the swim meet especially if it is a local one that is less than a 90 minute drive. The other problem is for the multi-day swim meets is that instead of vomiting, I spend a lot of time in the men's room.
The key for me is to get to the pool. The approach that I take is to go to farther swim meets where I need to arrive a day or two before the meet. I am more relaxed beforehand as I treat it like a vacation with a swim meet as one of the activities. If I travel without any teammates, then I try to meet people and make new friendships. I also go without any expectations other than to harvest some endorphins for my PTSD. I just try to relax and have fun and that seems to work for me.
