Written by What happens when a person is all-work and no-play? They become disengaged, disenfranchised, and basically burnt-out. This is as true in the sportsperson as it is in any other profession and the best way to prevent this fuse from being lit, is to ensure a healthy work-life balance.
The fantastically centered Australian Tennis star, Ash Barty, has her second Wimbledon final against Karolina Pliskova coming up shortly after having easily taken German Angelique Kerber six games to three in 35 minutes. To combat the stresses of her profession she has taken up another sport. The 25-year-old from Ipswich in Queensland has a remarkably chill manner and was seen today kicking around a football on the court.
Barty has always had a maturity in her approach to her sporting responsibilities, in 2014 until 2016 she abandoned tennis in favor of cricket because she was feeling disconnected from her family.
“I think I just needed to find myself a little bit, I felt like I got twisted and maybe a little bit lost along the way in the first part of my career, just within myself mentally and what I wanted to do. I was very lucky to have a lot of success but I’m still very much a homebody and I kind of lost my way a little bit with not being able to connect with my family.”
“I even think [I] kind of disconnected with my family in a way.” – Ashleigh Barty
Upon her return in 2016, she has gone from strength to strength until she had a landmark win at her first Grand Slam title at the French Open and found herself in the number one position in the world.
Dan Matheson of the University of Iowa suggests that the young athlete needs to forget about a work-life balance if they want to get ahead in their sport. He explains that the industry requires irregular hours and demanding schedules because it is entertainment; because it is weekends and nights; because it is competitive. Well to me that describes almost any career these days; performing arts, hospitality, corporate, it makes no difference no one has an easy ride, everyone has to put in the effort for the results they want. It is imperative that a balance of some sort be struck. The human body and even more so, the human mind, must have rest and other stimulation or it will become over-focused and fatigued. Any situation in which an employee or team member is in a constant or regular state of emotional distress that is not remedied will in fact never do well. Not least is the basic chemical situation where the adrenal glands secrete excessive amounts of the stress hormone cortisol in response to stress. high levels of cortisol discovered in the urine have been associated with a dramatic increase in death from cardiovascular disease. When compared to individuals with lower cortisol levels, those with the highest levels were found to be five times as likely to die of heart attack, stroke, or other cardiovascular causes in the future.
Here is where the effective coach comes in, if there has been a culture of care and well-being established, athletes would be encouraged to take the healthier option of striking a good balance between sporting excellence and personal priorities. As Ash Barty has proven it is remarkably simple to be devoted and driven but responsible and mature about the bigger picture.
Wimbledon 2021: Ash Barty vs Karolina Pliskova, how to watch, time of match (news.com.au)