After spending the past four to six months practicing, traveling, and competing, the end of the volleyball season can feel like a major letdown. During the season, it felt as if you didn’t have enough time in the day to complete everything you needed to do: Chores, homework, jobs, family, friends… Certain things had to take a back seat to your volleyball.
Now that there is no mid-week practice or weekend tournament to attend, you may suddenly find yourself with a lot of free time in your life. It’s completely normal to feel sad that the volleyball season is over, that you don’t see your teammates on a regular basis, and that there is no future weekend tournament to look forward to.
We asked sport psychologist, Christina Roberts, MS, MA, for insight on how young athletes can better handle post-season blues. Roberts suggested four tactics to help ease the transition away from a season.
Reflection
Take time to think about the past season and its outcome. Did you set any goals at the start of the season? Did you accomplish those goals? Consider things that went well, that you could have done better, or what lessons you learned throughout the season.
Set New Goals
Crafting solid goals is a technique commonly used to keep athletes accountable, focused, and motivated. Not all goals are specific to the season. In fact, some established goals can be worked on in the off-season, such as learning a new skill or fine tuning a technique. Based off the information in your reflection, create goals that are specific to elevate your game.
Rest and Recharge
Taking some time off from any activity is good for your body and your mind. This helps support overall recovery, both physical and mental. For a busy athlete, this can be challenging. Most likely your schedule was filled with practices, games, and tournaments, leaving little to no time for social or personal activities. Were there any things that you put on the back burner so you could maintain this high level of performance? Use your newly freed-up schedule to reconnect with friends, finish that book, or pick up a new hobby. A little downtime from your hectic schedule can restore your drive and get you motivated when the next season starts.
Self Care
Finally, post-season blues are a very real thing. Retreating to junk food, lack of activity, or other unhealthy behaviors can enhance these feelings. To counteract the blues, practice self-care by staying nourished with healthy foods, continuing to hydrate, and incorporating movement into your routine. Staying active in any way has been shown to reduce anxiety. Are there opportunities to play recreationally or to sign up for a skills clinic? Perhaps there’s a new activity you’d like to try. Challenging yourself by engaging in other movements beyond volleyball can build strength and stability in other ways.
Christina M. Roberts, MS, MA, RYT-200 is a healthcare leadership professional, an endurance coach, and a mental conditioning coach. She earned her Master of Arts in Sport Psychology from National University’s John F. Kennedy Sport Psychology Program, Master of Science in Health Care Administration from Kings College and numerous coaching and yoga certifications from various organizations.