The Advantages Of A Stable And Orderly Life For Elite Athletes

Dedicating yourself to sport professionally is much more than developing strength, maximizing the speed of your reflexes or even learning a lot of theory about the sport to which one dedicates a good part of one’s life.

It is also, among other things, knowing how to take care of yourself physically and mentally, and developing skills from which it is possible to live through effective preparation habits.

Therefore, in this article we will briefly review the advantages, from the point of view of elite athletes, of learning to live in an organized manner and applying the principles of order to your daily life.

Why is it important to lead an orderly life in the face of the demands of elite sport?

It is not just about being aware of the training schedules and the healthy living standards (physically) imposed by the sports club, the sponsors, and other entities participating in the athlete’s professional career.

Beyond this formal version of what an ordered life is supposed to be, there are a whole series of guiding principles on which healthy living habits and efficient preparation are based (both physically and psychologically).

Overlooking them not only means exposing yourself to health complications in an environment in which hard work can generate a lot of wear and tear; Furthermore, it produces a disadvantage compared to other athletes who do take advantage of their ability to establish consistent habits and routines adapted to their goals and talents. And this, in such a competitive field of sports and professional development, is a double problem.

But… What exactly do we mean when we talk about living an orderly life in which stability prevails? It is not about leading the existence of a robot, far from it (in fact, overlooking the emotional facet of the athlete is a very serious mistake in psychological preparation for a league, tournament or championship).

What it is about is being aware that, if we do not realize and do not have a certain control of what we do and how we do it inside and outside of the training sessions, We expose ourselves to many situations that lead us to lose time and health, and we lose many opportunities in which we could win on those two fronts

For example, adopting a series of routines psychologically adapted to one’s own sporting characteristics and goals allows:

These are all areas of work that, as you see, They do not strictly adhere to what is usually understood as physical preparation and that complement each other with this.

What can psychology contribute in this regard?

Psychological therapy is not only a way to treat psychopathologies; In addition, it also adapts to the needs of people without significant mental health problems, and among the intervention strategies and techniques that are included in this area, there are many that are used to help professionals, opponents, people with creative projects underway… and elite athletes too, of course.

After all, Applied psychology does not have to limit itself only to addressing psychological disorders; What it is about is putting to work all the discoveries and technical advances generated in this field of science to help as many people as possible. For this reason, many of the psychotherapy services offered are intended to support people with very stressful career paths, or those subject to a high level of tension and demands.

In the case of psychological assistance for elite athletes, one of the main functions of the psychologist is to help the person structure their routines and habits so that from that way of life it is possible to sustain a training program (physical and mental). effective and sustained over time, without “burning out” the person due to excess anxiety but at the same time leading them to always face new challenges

Some of the ways in which psychology can help professional athletes in this regard are the following:

Do you want to have professional psychological assistance?

If you want to have the support of a psychologist to help you with a problem related to the management of emotions or behavioral patterns, or you are simply looking for psychological assistance when facing challenges in the professional field, contact me.

My name is Tomás Santa Cecilia and my way of working is based on the cognitive-behavioral model, one of the most effective and adaptable to the needs or problems of each person. I offer my services in person in Madrid or online by video call.