It’s that time of the season. The chill of your dark morning room keeps you wrapped up the warmth of your bed. You spend so much time staring at the black line on the floor of the pool that it’s ingrained into your vision. Your skin has started to turn into reptile scales and your hair is like dry summer grass. Every good athlete will hit a seasonal burnout, but the great ones know how to glide through it.
Although swimming takes up a lot of our time, it’s important to use a slice of the day to give ourselves a mental break. From 3-day swim meets, to double practices, it seems as if we are continuously submerged in water. Fully immersing into something you love (and in our case, we mean it literally) calls for dedication and commitment; some of the essential ingredients of success. While hard work is a necessity, it is important to give time to relaxing and rejuvenating ourselves. Focusing on non-goal oriented activities gives this part of our mind some rest and allows it to be more fresh and productive in the future. Doodling, knitting, doing puzzles, watching a movie, hanging out with friends, or playing with a pet are just some simple activities that allow us to take a mental break from our sport.
Ever come home from a grueling night’s practice and have a bowl of pasta and a stack of homework staring right back at you? Sleep is a commonly forgot component to achieving a positive and productive day. According to a study conducted in 2012, at Harvard-Westlake School, 75% of student-athletes reported having under 8 hours of sleep per night. At the end of the 21-month investigation, 56% of the students reported injuries, and 38% reported multiple injuries.
Feeling more motivated to get those extra hours of snoozing in? Here are some sleep hygiene skills that you can use:
Avoid stimulants such as coffee.
Take a warm shower or do some meditation before bed.
Avoid looking electronics (laptop, phone, TV) before bed.
Decorate your bed (colorful pillows and blankets, stuffed toys).
Put some essential oil night lamps in your room.
Adjust room temperature to your comfort.
Drink warm milk or non-caffeinated herbal tea before bed.
Turn on some white noise (ocean waves, crickets chirping,)
Breaking a national record, getting all best times, getting into finals, whatever your goals may be this season, giving mental and physical rest to ourselves is essential for stellar performance. Work hard, play hard, and most importantly … RELAX!
About Jhama Sutaria
Each day is a challenge that comes with a lifetime of rewards.
Those who beg to differ have never truly lived.
Jharna Sutaria is a dazzling 17-year old who dreams of tracing her imprint on the world. As someone who is dealing with mental illness, Jharna believes in raising awareness and educating others about the subject. She wants to break the stigma that surrounds the invisible demons, through her writing.
Jharna’s first publication was at the age of 9 when one of her pieces was selected for the book, A Celebration of Poets. Over the past year, she has claimed Honorable Mention in the 2016-2017 Coppell Gifted Association (CGA) Creative Writing Competition. Jharna works as marketing designer for Academy of Texas Aquatic Champions (ATAC) Swim Club, and Light Heart, Focused Mind (LHFM). She is in the process of writing her first poetry book, The Magical Mess of My Mind , and created a poetry blog called Outburst. Jharna aspires to be a sports journalist when she graduates school.
The young woman has been in treatment since the winter of 2015 and is staying strong in her recovery. Some of the major things that get her through each day are her purpose, her heartbeat, and her story.
As a resident of Palo Alto, California, Jharna attends Paly Senior High School and is a swimmer on Rinconada Masters. She is also an open water swimmer and practices in the ocean with World Water Swim. She adores her 15-year-old sister, Arnavi, and her 9-year-old dog, Mandy.
Link to Outburst: http://jharnasutaria.wixsite.com/outburst
Citations:
http://globalsportsdevelopment.org/good-nights-sleep-student-athletes/
https://www.sleepassociation.org/patients-general-public/insomnia/sleep-hygiene-tips/
