Post Show Blues?
26.2. 13.1. 4%. 12%. 2:59:59.
13-0.
If you’re an athlete, chances are one of these numbers means
something to you. A race, a
bodybuilding/figure competition, triathlon, series record…the list is
endless. You train tirelessly – putting
your work, your hobbies and sometimes even your friends and family in second
place in pursuit of your goal. You have
probably stated at some point during your training, “I can’t wait to be done
with this ________ so I can __________!”
So why is it that you
endure such pain and sacrifice to
accomplish your goal, make a list of all of the things you are going to do when your event is over and
train, train, TRAIN to reach your goal
and…
BAM! You feel depressed the day after.
WTH?! You dreamed of this day! You’ve told the Facebook
universe everything there is to know about this day! You made your list! Now
you can do ________ because your ________ is over!! You can’t believe you feel
this way…..this was supposed to be magical.
And it’s not.
The post show blues are COMMON and MANY people experience
them after a major life event! All the preparing, planning, training,
excitement and anticipation is over. You may not feel any motivation, but the
truth is, you are probably HIGHLY MOTIVATED, successful (and surely
attractive!).
Ding, ding!!! We have our culprit – motivation.
To understand why you feel this way, and how to move past it,
you must know what motivates you! It’s not the race, the competition or the
event….it’s most likely everything ELSE that goes along with it!
Step back to 9th
grade science class with me. Remember Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs? It tells us
everything we need to know about motivation and reaching our full
potential. Here’s a look:
As a highly, motivated and attractive person, you have
climbed to the top of the pyramid. Let’s
keep YOU moving forward!
1. Basic
Survival Needs – Food. Clothing. Shelter. Air. Yes, you need this to
survive. This is your ticket into the motivation game.
2. Security
Needs – Personal and financial security. Well-being. Freedom from fear.
Without a sense of security and well-being in our daily lives, it will be hard
to focus on realizing your full potential.
3. Love and
Belonging – This is where life gets fun.
Ever think that maybe the reason you ENJOY your hobby so much is because
of the camaraderie that goes along with it? For the past several weeks or
months, YOU have been part of an exclusive club. Dedicated members only. You train with this group, you have inside
jokes, you post about your training on Facebook. You are special…you BELONG!
Now that club has disbanded a
bit… the common goal event is over. People move on to other interests or goals. BUT, this is exactly where you
start to recover from the blues! Just because the event is over, doesn’t mean
your belonging has to end. Some ideas to
consider:
·
Re-Group!
Find other interests in common with your “group” and schedule events as
soon as possible. Maybe they now revolve around family, traveling, food or
other active interests.
·
Make
Plans! Make plans with your family and friends – you know, the ones that
have been waiting for you while you’ve been training!!? Schedule outings to look forward to –
anything to create new anticipation and enjoyment.
4. Self-Esteem
– Studies have shown that competing in sports/athletics is great for a
child’s self-esteem. You as an adult are no different! It builds
self-confidence, pride, stamina and recognition! NO, you are NOT being
egotistical, these things are healthy! Keep your self-esteem moving in the
right direction by finding other ways to accomplish the feeling of pride and
recognition:
·
Get
Feedback! Just because you finished your first event, doesn’t mean that
there isn’t room to improve for next time.
Contact experts, judges and fellow competitors…get feedback on how to
improve your performance. Make a plan to act on the changes – MOVE FORWARD!
People will be inspired by your continued progress.
·
Mentor
Others! You didn’t accomplish your level of success on your own, right?
Reach out to newbies in your sport. It
will provide you focus and a sense of accomplishment that will not only keep
you in the group (belonging!!) but give you pride to see them do well with your
help (esteem!!).
5. Self-Actualization
– This is the peak of the motivational process that makes you FEEL GOOD and
keeps you striving for excellence. For
some of you, it’s filling a need or a void. For the rest of you, it’s the
constant drive to be one second faster, stronger, harder, leaner, quicker, etc.
·
Set NEW
goals! You may be surprised at what you have already accomplished. What
else are you capable of? Find a larger race or competition or a more
challenging course. If you need help
holding yourself accountable or getting started, tell your Facebook friends about it J
·
Try
something NEW! Maybe you’ve crossed the race or competition off of your
bucket list. What else can you accomplish? Trying something new not only presents a new
challenge, but it creates an OPPORTUNITY to find a new group (belonging!!),
achieve new goals (self-esteem!!) and further maximize your potential
(self-actualization!!).
Post show blues are COMMON, but the key is to understand WHY
you feel this way so you can do something about it. It’s also common to grieve a bit after the
event. WHY? Because you have lost something – whether it’s your training group, your focus or even the
adrenaline of anticipation, you must allow
time to regroup. BUT, don’t let
the pity party last forever. Give
yourself and ending time and make it stick. Then, GET MOVING on those new
endeavors!!
Recognizing what truly motivates you (it’s not the event!)
can keep you moving in the right direction and realizing EVERYTHING you’re
capable of…and hopefully help you uncover a few surprises about your potential
along the way.
Keeping YOU NDN strong…
Kelli Hinshaw
Marketing Officer/Management Professor/Mom
NPC National Bikini Competitor
Real products. Real advice. Real Results.
