There is growing evidence of the multiple benefits of meditation.  For former athletes, the transition from the field to a life beyond sports can be a rocky journey, filled with uncertainty and a sense of loss. Given the specific needs of retired athletes, a regular meditation practice is just what is needed in sports retirement, offering a clearer mind and a fresh perspective on life after sports careers.

Let’s start by talking about what meditation is and what it does.  Meditation is a practice that encourages an increased state of awareness and focus on the present moment.  During meditation, a person focuses on what is happening in the now, as an observer and without judgment.  When the mind wanders to other things, focus is gently brought back to the present moment. Regularly practicing this helps to train the brain to stay focused in the now, rather than getting caught up in thoughts about the past and the future where it is easy to get stuck.  When difficult thoughts and experiences show up and one can stay mindfully in the present moment, one can respond in ways that serve their values.

Chances are as an athlete, you were skilled at staying focused during the game, meet or training session.  But there was always an outcome in the background.  The W for the team’s record, the PR or qualifying for the next level.  Did you ever just notice how the motions of your body felt without assessing them as good or bad?  Or the sounds around you at the starting line?  Or the thoughts that entered your mind?  And did you ever take that intense focus outside of your sport and into the rest of your life?  Maybe here and there, but if I had to guess, not as a consistent practice.  I certainly didn’t take my focus on the balance beam and into the rest of my world and had what we like to call “the monkey mind” outside the gym.

Intensive, outcome-driven focus can have value in life after sports, but when the outcome, rule or rigid expectation we have created for ourselves is the only influence, it becomes much easier to miss opportunities to take actions toward our other values or for us to avoid experiences that may be challenging but will move us toward what is important to us.  Learning how to meditate and be mindful in life helps us develop self-awareness, self-compassion and let go of what is not helpful or serving us well.

The transition out of sports can often come with anxiety, depression and grief from the loss of an athletic career, support system, sense of purpose and structure of routine.  Meditation can help a person learn to more easily manage the negative emotions and thoughts that come along with the end of a sports career.

Shortly after I retired from gymnastics, I remember feeling a deep sense of loss, like there was a gaping hole in my life without the sport that had given me so much.  Much to my confusion, I also felt a sense of relief from no longer having the pressure of performing at my best while also managing my training, school and everything else.  This emotional roller coaster was difficult to ride, especially at a young age.  Unfortunately, meditation and mindfulness were not tools that I had at the time, and my actions were all over the place because I was responding impulsively to whatever strong feelings I was having.  As a result, I would go from never wanting to step foot inside a weight room again to trying to replicate the intensity of my previous training.  I would spend my newly found free time doing things that wouldn’t serve me well or trying to fit a million things into a short period of time, just like my sports days.

I truly wish I could have had guidance and tools to help me during this time.  I managed to transition to my life out of sports but it wasn’t without a lot of challenges that lingered for a while.  Eventually I found yoga in graduate school and started to learn how to be present and listen to my body and mind.  Adding in a more consistent meditation practice, along with my clinical training, helped me to observe the activities of my mind…thoughts, feeling, emotions, stories of my past that I went back to frequently…and respond in ways that moved me forward rather than keeping me stuck.

Meditation helps us become better at staying in the present moment and observing without judgment.  Having a more objective view of what we are experiencing allows us to have a clearer mind and make better decisions on how to respond.  As a former athlete, it’s easy to get stuck on the expectations we had for ourselves in our sports days, even though they no longer apply to our life after sports.  The resulting anxiety and stress from this can take a toll on mental and physical health.  Meditation helps to combat this through increased emotional balance and focus.

The good news is that meditation is a practice that can start with short practices and be increased over time.  The benefits can be felt right away and will expand over time.  Starting with a goal of just a few minutes a day is easy to achieve and build upon.  Here are some tips to get started:

• Set an easy goal of 3 to 5 minus per day.

• Select a time of day in your schedule that works and keep it consistent.

• Use a phone alarm or reminder so that you remember to practice.

• Find an app or YouTube Channel that has short, guided meditations.  Try out a few different ones and see what feels good to you.

• It’s ok to use the same guided meditation over and over, especially if it lands well with you.  Take the opportunity to observe how you feel each time, just noticing if there is any difference day to day. 

• Once you are consistently practicing for a few days, increase the length of time of your meditation or add on a second one at a different time of day.

• Don’t get discouraged if some days it’s harder to stay present than others.  You are human, that is normal and all part of the process. The repeated practice of coming back to the present moment is where the magic happens.  Just enter each practice as a new opportunity.

If you are ready to try it out, check out this short (and FREE!) meditation that I specifically created for retired athletes.  Comment below and let me know about your experience.