‘Focus on things that are in control to stay motivated’

Sports psychologists suggest athletes should focus on short-term and achievable goals

Hyderabad: There is every danger of negativity and anxiety creeping into the young minds because of the second wave of Covid-19 that has wreaked havoc among sportspersons. With lockdown shutting down all the sporting activities, athletes are in limbo with regard to their future course of action. There is also no clarity on the resumption of various tournaments. Sports psychologists therefore have advised sportspersons to remain calm and aim for short-term goals.

Divya Jain, Sports Psychologist and head of Psychological Services Department of Mental Health and Behavioural Science, Fortis Healthcare, feels this is the time the athletes have to stop thinking about things that are not in their control, instead stay focused on staying fit to keep a positive frame of mind. “With prevailing uncertainty around games and around everyone’s health, it is normal to feel anxious. I have been working with players and telling them to stop worrying and speculating. Instead, focus on things that are in their control. They can focus on training at home and research more on how they can train physically and mentally.”

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Divya feels both the upcoming as well as top-class athletes have problems with the current situation. “The situation is the same for the players at all levels. Upcoming young players are worried about missing out on age-group tournaments.”

“In the current situation, it is difficult to set long-term goals. So, focus on short-term and achievable goals. Also we make sure that they are prepared well when sports resume. Most of them are not able to get the match exposure. We work on how they can stimulate the same situation through visualisation or with real-time experience. When things resume, it will be a bit different with life in bio-bubble, spending time in isolation. We are training them for that,” she says.

“The stakes are a bit higher for top players who are preparing for the Olympics. Uncertainty will create anxiety and everyone is experiencing it in different ways. It is again about focusing on things that are in our hands which is training. We can’t be taken off guard in case we expect the Games to happen,” she adds.

Ankita Jain, Sports Psychologist with ELMS Sports Foundation, Hyderabad, says “There is constant pressure on athletes. It is intensified by pandemic by not allowing them to compete and train. They are going through different emotions. There are two kinds of athletes – one who is over anxious as his/her competitor is getting extra time to prepare with facilities. The other kind of athlete is one who sees his/her peers, friends taking a break and thinks why should he/she train. So, each athlete needs to be treated differently.”

When asked if the number of athletes taking counselling has increased, she adds, “It is a double-edged sword. A lot of people are aware now that mental health is important for athletes. One group is realising that they need to have that extra edge in the long term to be strong mentally. But others feel ‘if I am not competing there is no need for me to focus on my mental strength’.”

“Use the time to strengthen your mental ability. Once training starts, there won’t be time to focus on mental and emotional aspects of life. Many parents don’t understand this,” she concludes.

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