Stay Motivated
The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic can be seen undoubtedly everywhere. However, did you ever thought about the impact on young players? High-level student-athletes were hit by the wave of the restrictions, and there were not many Zoom meetings for them, where they were able to express themselves, chat with teammates, or just play their favorite sport!
Doing a sport during childhood and youth can be beneficial in many ways. Sport can support discipline, commitment, responsibility, confidence, and resilience, is the prevention of frustration, and helps with failure management. Family, friends, team, coaches – all are participating in the well-being of athletes and are affecting their mental health. (Matus, 2021)
As we can see in a study by Poczta and colleagues (2022) and also by Lawrence and colleagues (2022), most people were missing personal contact with others. We need to feel united and integrated into some group (as we can see in many publications about socialization and socialization into the sport; out of the sport; and by the sport (Coakley, 1993, page 172; Flemr and Valjent, 2010, pages 76-82)).
Athletes were not missing “just” their teammates, they were also missing the sport in general. They were missing the feeling during the games, missing the feeling after the games, they were missing these strong emotions associated with their beloved sport! They wanted to have fun. (Poczta, 2022) “Exercise helps to manage stress, fight off illnesses, and maintain positive mental health.” (AASP Blog, 2020)
And now… How to stay motivated? How to motivate yourself? Your athlete? Your kid? Your soccer player? Your friends and teammates?
Just think about it! Why did you start playing that sport? What was the purpose? How do you feel after the match? How much fun do you have with your teammates and how much hard work do you put into this game! Let's set up new goals. It is a new start, a new season, maybe a new team, or maybe a new age group. Set up the goal! Does not have to be big – step by step build your confidence on the field and be ready to help others to boost their confidence.
The very important thing is not to be HARD ON YOURSELF! Be careful! Prevent injuries. Try to stretch, try to work out on your own, so that your body will be ready for everything. The season is long and there is no point in playing when you feel pain! RECOVER! And remember – perfection is just ideal, which we can use to move forward. Moving “ME” towards “MY” dreams.
Useful to read:
AASP Blog. (March 2020). The COVID-19 pandemic: Tips for athletes, coaches, parents, and the sport community. https://appliedsportpsych.org/blog/2020/03/the-covid-19-pandemic-tips-for-athletes-coaches-parents-and-the-sport-community/
Lautenbach F, Leisterer S, Walter N, Kronenberg L, Manges T, Leis O, Pelikan V, Gebhardt S and Elbe A-M (2021) Amateur and Recreational Athletes’ Motivation to Exercise, Stress, and Coping During the Corona Crisis. Front. Psychol. 11:611658. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.611658 (online: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.611658/full)
Sources:
Coakley, J. (1993). Sport and socialization. Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews, 21(1), 169-200.
Flemr, L., & Valjent, Z. (2010). Socializace sportem Socialization By Sport. Studia sportiva
Lawrence, J. T., Greenberg, E., Greenberg, E., & Ganley, T. J. (2022). Understanding Youth Athlete Motivation, Training and Activity Progression During and After the COVID-19 Sports Interruption. Pediatrics, 149(1 Meeting Abstracts February 2022), 219-219.
Matus, E., Matus, L., & Molino, J. (2021). Sports Motivation in Athletes in the Face of Psychosocial Risk and Pandemic Due to COVID 19. In (Ed.), Sport Psychology in Sports, Exercise and Physical Activity. IntechOpen. https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.99475
Poczta, J., Almeida, N., Paczyńska-Jędrycka, M., & Kruszyńska, E. (2022). The Impact of COVID-19 Incidence on Motivation to Participate in a Triathlon. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(9), 5576.
