The difficulty of being a high-level athlete!

The difficulty of being a high-level athlete!
Watching the daily life of high-level athletes, whether on television or on the internet, a very pleasant everyday life is captured. Comforts, financial convenience, recognition, or in other words: “They have made their hobby their profession….” For younger athletes, who are inspired by their idols, only what is presented is seen: an easy life with many comforts. Quite misleading…. For everyone, “the big picture” is missing, the one that will show what someone has invested to reach the highest level and at the same time how they stay there.
Successes and recognition leave an impressive imprint, their entire path to this point is captured, however, in a different way. Physically and Psychologically.
A lot of work, many hours of training, two or three times a day, a daily life fully adapted to the instructions of the sport. Rest, nutrition, social life, everything is adapted to the sport, which is not just a priority but the factor that regulates the entire life of the athlete. The body is the element that needs to be in the best possible condition, everything that the athlete’s daily life includes should protect what they have most precious: their body.
The adjustments at the psychological level include both themselves and others! There is the basic requirement to have the same willingness to work and effort every day, for many years, under the condition that they experience even in their personal life (e.g. losses). Their performance is “expected” to always be at a higher level, both by themselves and by the environment. Teams, clubs, federations, friends, spectators, those who are generally involved in sports expect their success, which if it does not come, they are called upon to manage beyond personal take-off and the dissatisfaction of the environment. “Whenever you compete, you should have a very good result….”
Within this context, easy or difficult, comes an injury, which he is called upon to manage, without changing anything in his daily life: he will return as soon as possible!
Sport at the highest level is a pleasant process in terms of recognition, fame and sometimes financial comfort, which is not at all a given for most athletes. Excluding sports with high contracts and sponsors, the rest of the high-level athletes do not prosper financially.
Sport at the highest level is also a process with a lot of effort, many hours of investment, a permanent demand from oneself to be in the best possible psychological state. This element often seems to be the most difficult, looking for the big picture. You can almost never express and operate according to your feelings.
Both athletes and young athletes will help to recognize the condition in which someone is called upon to be and remain at the highest level. High level, high settings…..

Yiannis Zarotis MSc-PhD
Psychologist-Sports Psychologist