Brain overboard
I believe that I've touched on this before, but I'm going to dive back in.
I'm talking with a friend who is struggling with her graduate thesis, discovering that she'd made some minor calculation mistakes that have resulted in skewed data for her project. She's under a fair amount of stress, and as you can imagine, this discovery when her thesis due date is rapidly approaching isn't helping.
I am the type of person who doesn't like to back off when it comes to a problem. I will attack it from different angles, and consult others for their advice, but I have a hard time stepping back from a problem. The way that I see it, the problem is there, and will be there, so why not tackle it now?
This last spring I hit my mental breaking point. I'd never been to my absolute limit before so I had no idea where exactly that breaking point would be, but I certainly found it. I was out at practice, trying to get a boat together, when the head coach offered me a suggestion on a drill that I might try. It was a solid suggestion that would have addressed the issue that I was working on - I believe it was losing connection on the drive - but for 20 minutes I just stared at him, trying to figure out what exactly he was talking about. I knew the drill he was suggesting, I'd done it before, but my mind was completely blank. Things were firing and nothing was happening. He ended up having to talk me through the drill before it finally clicked in.
At that point I realized I'd pushed myself too far. I had been pulling 18 hour days three times a week since the fall season, staying two extra hours after the final practice to work on technique and drills with the men's team. Pile on the regular 12-14 hour days, plus regattas on the weekends, and the happenings within the program, and I'd reached a point where my mind up and quit. Not enough sleep, not enough food, not enough time to myself where rowing and coaching weren't involved.
My head coach was extremely concerned about where I was, and strongly suggested that I take some time for myself. I believe he even took a couple of practices for me, telling me to stay home and rest up. I ended up canceling the extra practices for two weeks, buying snacks, and taking 20 minute walks around campus, all of which helped immensely. I also forced myself to spend an hour at home, watching a movie, or a show, or talking with friends, or just reading before bed where work was left either in my car or just in my bag.
There's nothing wrong with working hard, but as we tell the athletes, your body is a machine, and you have to take care of it. Abusing it by not resting it, or fueling it, and you're setting yourself up for an inevitable crash.
I'm talking with a friend who is struggling with her graduate thesis, discovering that she'd made some minor calculation mistakes that have resulted in skewed data for her project. She's under a fair amount of stress, and as you can imagine, this discovery when her thesis due date is rapidly approaching isn't helping.
I am the type of person who doesn't like to back off when it comes to a problem. I will attack it from different angles, and consult others for their advice, but I have a hard time stepping back from a problem. The way that I see it, the problem is there, and will be there, so why not tackle it now?
This last spring I hit my mental breaking point. I'd never been to my absolute limit before so I had no idea where exactly that breaking point would be, but I certainly found it. I was out at practice, trying to get a boat together, when the head coach offered me a suggestion on a drill that I might try. It was a solid suggestion that would have addressed the issue that I was working on - I believe it was losing connection on the drive - but for 20 minutes I just stared at him, trying to figure out what exactly he was talking about. I knew the drill he was suggesting, I'd done it before, but my mind was completely blank. Things were firing and nothing was happening. He ended up having to talk me through the drill before it finally clicked in.
At that point I realized I'd pushed myself too far. I had been pulling 18 hour days three times a week since the fall season, staying two extra hours after the final practice to work on technique and drills with the men's team. Pile on the regular 12-14 hour days, plus regattas on the weekends, and the happenings within the program, and I'd reached a point where my mind up and quit. Not enough sleep, not enough food, not enough time to myself where rowing and coaching weren't involved.
My head coach was extremely concerned about where I was, and strongly suggested that I take some time for myself. I believe he even took a couple of practices for me, telling me to stay home and rest up. I ended up canceling the extra practices for two weeks, buying snacks, and taking 20 minute walks around campus, all of which helped immensely. I also forced myself to spend an hour at home, watching a movie, or a show, or talking with friends, or just reading before bed where work was left either in my car or just in my bag.
There's nothing wrong with working hard, but as we tell the athletes, your body is a machine, and you have to take care of it. Abusing it by not resting it, or fueling it, and you're setting yourself up for an inevitable crash.
Comments