Why Mental Fatigue in Athletes Matters as Much as Physical Injury.

When New Zealand cricket captain Kane Williamson got to Mental Fatigue Camp this week he found himself in very good company.

Williamson had asked for time out from his Yorkshire cricket duties to “clear his head”. Just a foot fault ahead of him was world tennis no 1 Novak Djokovic who sought some mental respite after his shock early exit from Wimbledon. Already in camp was All Black Julian Savea who had been working on freeing himself from “mental clutter.”

When athletes put their hands up for time out, coaches often rush to downplay the issue, so protecting their stars from the stigma of having something wrong “up top.”

But we need to acknowledge mental strain in sport the same way we do physical injury — because it’s normal.

Every high performance athlete has mental challenges. So do coaches and officials.

That’s because it’s not possible to do your job on a public stage, stretch mind and body to the limits, be away from home and family for long stretches of time, withstand criticism and fear failure, know you could be one game away from a Career Ending crash — and not wage war with what’s going on in your head.

Mental fatigue is among the most common psychological problems, reported by athletes.

In its simplest form it is weariness born of long periods without a break or the burn of constant pressure. At the other end of the scale, it can be a flag for mental illnesses, such as depression and anxieties. It can also lead to dysfunctional coping with alcohol or substances, gambling, food or aggression.

That Williamson, Djokovic and Savea were all struggling with their form is no coincidence, because that’s when mental difficulties flare — or athletes feel compelled to speak up.

They would each have noted some (or all) of the key indicators of mental fatigue which include:

• Mistakes— stressed athletes make more errors or report clumsiness.
• Focus— it becomes harder to concentrate or hold focus.
• Overthinking— thoughts race or scramble which causes anxiety.
• Forced action — movement feels stiff instead of intuitive and free.
• Loss of enjoyment — leads to decrease in motivation.
• Negative thoughts — obsessing about mistakes and worrying about the future.

It’s also important to look at when the fatigue is occurring. If an athlete has lots of energy in the morning but runs out of steam later, the problem is more likely to be physical. If he or she wakes up tired and flat and takes time to get going, it’s worth checking on emotional health.

Sometimes the solution is as simple as taking a break and focusing on other things until the fog lifts.

But when an athlete’s confidence dips and their thinking gets into a negative loop, they may need help to break the cycle, straighten out their thought processes and restore confidence.

Intense personalities and heavily analytic athletes are often pegged as most likely to struggle with mental fatigue. That’s not true — there’s no one-personality-fits-all for emotional distress.

At their peak, these three very different men, Williamson, Djokovic and Savea are the best in the world. And even the best have problems.

The key is to develop self-understanding, to know their strengths and vulnerabilities and to build a personal toolkit to haul out when their form stutters or they are injured, benched or forced out of the game. Or when their brain just feels overstuffed and weary.

When sport goes wrong, athletes — and those who coach and guide them — need to play the long game, mentally as well as physically. After all, if bruised and battered bodies deserve serious attention, why not tired and troubled minds?

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