Q&A: Learn how Olympians keep their cool from Team USA's chief sports psychologist

Your greeting jog aliases play hoops crippled whitethorn not return spot connected an Olympic stage, but you tin usage Team USA’s techniques to get nan astir retired of your workout routine.

It’s not each astir spot and speed. Mental fittingness tin beryllium conscionable arsenic important arsenic beingness fitness.

That’s why nan U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee created a psychological services squad to support nan intelligence wellness and intelligence capacity of athletes representing nan Stars and Stripes.

“I deliberation happy, patient athletes are going to execute astatine their best, truthful that’s what we’re striving for,” said Jessica Bartley, elder head of nan 15-member unit.

Bartley studied sports psychology and intelligence wellness aft an wounded ended her shot career. She joined nan USOPC successful 2020 and is now successful Paris pinch Team USA’s 592 competitors, who scope successful property from 16 to 59.

Bartley said pinch The Times astir really her unit keeps Olympic athletes successful apical psychological shape, and what nan remainder of america tin study from them.

This question and reply has been edited for magnitude and clarity.

Why is workout bully for intelligence health?

It gets you moving. It gets nan endorphins going. And there’s often a batch of societal aspects that are really helpful.

There are a number of sports that stretch your brain successful ways that tin beryllium really, really valuable. You’re reasoning astir hand-eye coordination, aliases you’re reasoning astir strategy. It tin amended memory, concentration, moreover captious thinking.

What’s nan champion measurement to get successful nan area erstwhile it’s clip to compete?

When I activity pinch athletes, I for illustration to understand what their area is. If a 0 aliases a 1 is you’re wholly chilled retired and a 10 is you’re jumping around, wherever do you request to be? What’s your number?

People will say, “I’m astatine a 10 and I request to beryllium astatine an 8 aliases a 7.” So we’ll talk astir ways of bringing it down, whether it’s taking a heavy breath, listening to relaxing music, aliases talking to your coach. Or there’s times erstwhile group opportunity they request to beryllium much amped up. That’s erstwhile you spot personification hitting their chest, aliases jumping up and down.

If you make a correction successful nan mediate of a competition, really do you move connected alternatively of dwelling connected it?

I often thatch athletes a reset routine. I played goalie, truthful I had a batch of clip to deliberation aft getting scored on. I would undo my goalie gloves and put them backmost on, which to maine was a reset. I would besides deterioration an other hairband connected my wrist, and erstwhile I would threat it, that meant I needed to get retired of my head.

It’s not conscionable a beingness reset — it helps pinch a intelligence reset. If you do nan aforesaid point each azygous time, it goes done nan aforesaid neural pathway to wherever it’s going to reset nan brain. That tin beryllium really impactful.

Do Olympic athletes person to woody pinch burnout?

Oh, yeah. Everybody has a time wherever they don’t want to do immoderate it is. That’s erstwhile you person to ask, “What’s successful my champion interests? Do I request a betterment day, aliases do I really request to get successful nan pool, aliases get successful nan gym?”

Sometimes you really do request what we for illustration to mention to arsenic a intelligence wellness day.

How tin you psych yourself up for a workout erstwhile you conscionable aren’t emotion it?

It’s really adjuvant to deliberation astir why you’re doing this and why you’re pushing yourself. Do you person goals related to an activity aliases sport? Is location thing tied to values astir difficult activity aliases discipline, loyalty aliases dependability?

When you don’t want to get successful nan gym, erstwhile you don’t want to spell for a run, deliberation astir thing bigger. Tie it backmost to values.

Is slumber important for maintaining intelligence health?

Yes! We started doing intelligence wellness screens pinch athletes earlier nan Tokyo Games. We asked astir depression, anxiety, disordered eating and assemblage image, narcotics and alcohol, and sleep. Sleep was really our No. 1 issue. It’s been a immense inaugural for us.

How overmuch slumber should we beryllium getting?

It’s different for everyone, but mostly we cognize 7 to 9 hours of slumber is good. Sometimes immoderate of these athletes request 10 hours.

I highly urge arsenic overmuch slumber arsenic you need. If you didn’t get capable sleep, napping tin beryllium really valuable.

Is napping conscionable for Olympic athletes aliases is it bully for everybody?

Everybody! Naps are amazing.

What if there’s nary clip for a nap?

There are different ways of recharging. Naps could beryllium 1 of them, but possibly you conscionable request to get disconnected your feet for 20 minutes. Maybe you request to do a meditation aliases mindfulness exercise and conscionable adjacent your eyes for 5 minutes.

How do you minimize nan effects of pitchy lag?

We effort to displacement 1 hr per day. That’s nan modular measurement of doing it. If you can, it’s ace helpful. But it’s not ever possible.

The point we show athletes is that our bodies are incredible, and you will moreover things retired if you tin get backmost connected schedule. One aliases 2 nights of crummy slumber is not going to effect your wide performance.

What proposal do you springiness athletes who person problem falling dormant nan nighttime earlier a competition?

You don’t want to alteration overmuch correct earlier a competition, truthful I usually nonstop athletes to do what they would usually do.

Do you request to unwind by reference a book? Do you request to talk connected nan telephone pinch personification and get your mind disconnected things? Can you put your mind successful a really restful spot and deliberation astir things that are really relaxing?

Are location immoderate mindfulness aliases meditation exercises that you find helpful?

There are immoderate athletes who use greatly from an hourlong meditation. I emotion thing quick, thing to reset my brain, possibly adjacent my eyes for a minute.

If I’m emotion for illustration I request to return a moment, I emotion mindful eating. You savor a wound and go, “Oh, my gosh, I person not been afloat engaged pinch my senses today.” Or you could return a mindful locomotion and return successful nan sights, nan smells, each of nan things that are astir you.

What do you eat erstwhile you request a speedy nutrition boost?

Cashews. I thin to transportation those pinch me. They’ve sewage capable power to make judge I support going, physically.

I’ve ever sewage gummy bears connected maine too. There’s nary nutritional worth but they support maine going mentally. I’m a large proponent of both.

Is it OK to beryllium superstitious successful sports?

It depends really elastic you are. Maybe you put connected your socks aliases shoes a definite way, aliases perceive to definite music. Routines are really soothing. They group your encephalon up for occurrence successful a peculiar performance. It tin beryllium really, really helpful.

But I’ve besides seen an jock hide their fortunate underwear aliases their fortunate socks, and they’re each retired of sorts. So your regular has to beryllium elastic capable that you’re not going to wholly autumn isolated if you don’t do it exactly.

Are Olympians made of stronger psychological worldly than nan remainder of us?

Not necessarily. There are immoderate who don’t get feathers ruffled and person a precocious tolerance for nan fanfare. There’s besides a batch of regular quality beings who conscionable hap to beryllium awesome astatine a peculiar activity.