Grief: A Natural Response to Sports Retirement
Today' post is about athletic identity and transitioning into life after sports.
Dear Athlete:
Did you know that grief will be a natural response to your sports career coming to an end?
Any life transition requires us to leave behind parts of ourselves in order to move forward into the unknown of our next chapter of life. For athletes, retiring from sports asks you to leave behind a part of your identity that you developed over the many years of playing and competing. Not only will you leave behind an identity of being an athlete, but you will also leave behind a community, a consistent daily outlet for relieving stress, and years of memories. And throughout this process and time of transition, you will go through the natural death of your former athlete self.
And with death, comes grief.
The American Psychological Association defines grief as the anguish experienced after a significant loss, usually the death of a beloved person. Grief often includes physiological distress, separation anxiety, confusion, yearning, obsessive dwelling on the past, and apprehension about the future. Intense grief can become life-threatening through disruption of the immune system, self-neglect, and suicidal thoughts. Grief may also take the form of regret for something lost, remorse for something done, or sorrow for a mishap to oneself.
In this blog post, we want to unpack the definition of grief together. Experiencing grief and the mental/physical/emotional shifts that arise to the surface during this period is an important part of the process when it comes to athletes processing their transition into life after sports. Because grief is something in society we usually attach to the physical death of another, we can often disassociate the grieving process through a life transition when we go through the death of one of our own identities and parts that belong only to us. The truth is, when athletes retire from competitive sport, a part of them will die along with that process.
We want all readers to know that grief is a normal reaction to the loss of leaving your competitive sports career behind and you are not alone in moving through this process and experiencing various mental/physiological/emotional reactions you have along with it.
If you were ever an athlete, no matter how many years have passed since your retirement or the years to come until your retirement, sit with this first part of the definition of grief described above and reflect on the following questions:
- Have I acknowledged there is/was grief in my transition into life after sports?
- What emotions did and/or are arising from the process of moving through my retirement from sports?
- Have I taken the time to feel these emotions?
....If yes, how did I move through feeling these emotions?
....If not, what would make me feel safe to begin to feel these emotions?
- What steps can I begin to take to feel this grief? (this will be covered more in-depth in our next blog post next week on bereavement)
Each person will have a unique mental/phsyiological/emotional response to grief. There is not a "one-size-fits-all" to move through a transition like the one athletes will move through. This is important for athletes, coaches, teammates, parents, and any person working with an athlete to know. It is personal, intimate, and should be treated as a uniquely sacred process for each person. At Inward Athlete, we believe in guiding athletes through grief individually and exposing them to various tools so they can personally identify what works best for them to move through this transition. And moving through this grief is an important part of the process and not bypass in order to connect with your mission in life after sports.
We would like to leave you with the tale of the legendary bird the Pheonix. In ancient times, the mythical Pheonix is a symbol of death and rebirth. Legend has it that it would light itself on fire, burn, and then rise again from the ashes.
Much like you, our beloved reader and athlete.
At Inward Athlete, we pray that during this crucial time of transition, you allow yourself the opportunity to move through grief and the emotions and any response your mind/body/spirit experiences that will arise along with it. We hope you welcome in the phases of that metaphorical death and rebirth to allow in the transition into another beautiful chapter of your life that awaits you on the other side of life after sports. We are here for you, you are not alone, and there is meaning and purpose in your life on the other side of our playing career.
If you or an athlete you know is experiencing symptoms of grief that are impacting their ability to take proper care of themselves daily and have noticed behavior changes that you are concerned about, please reach out to a trusted coach, parent, or mentor to connect them with appropriate resources to help them through this time of transition.
This conversation is not easy or fun to have but it is important to begin to have a healthy transition into building the life of your dreams in life after sports.
Thank you go Going Inward with us today -
Inward Athlete Team
Disclaimer: Blog writers for Inward Athlete are not licensed psychologists and/or mental health clinicians. This Blog is meant to inform a general audience, invoke the curiosity of readers, and does not prescribe individual mental health advice. If what you read today has you reflect on your own or a loved one’s lived anxiety, depression, social isolation, or any other mental/physical behaviors/emotional impact you or them from living a happy daily life; we encourage you to take the action step to speak with a licensed mental health professional. Our team at Inward Athlete would be glad to support you with further resources on this topic.
Additional resources can be found at: