November Newsletter

Attached is a study in regards to the psychological stress and well-being of coaches. It’s not a surprise that the study found high levels of stress among the coaches involved in the study. It is a stressful job that requires a lot of the individual and there is no avoiding that. Frankly, some of that stress, including positive stress is why a lot of coaches chose to do what they do. The big games, challenges they get to work through, and juggling a lot of different things all at once are some of the draws to the job, but absolutely create stress. However, enough of the bad stress can impact not only physical health, but how well a coach can do their job. Heightened stress can impair critical thinking, reaction time. decision making abilities, how we interact with others, and so many other factors that contribute to performance.

The caveat to all this stress that comes with the rollercoaster that is the coaching industry, is to find a way to manage it productively. This study suggests monitoring stress levels, finding support through the stress, and finding productive interventions to manage that stress, all of which can be extremely beneficial.

Monitioring stress levels simply means to understand your baseline level of stress (where are you operating on a daily/lower stress level day) and acknowledging when that stress hits. This awareness is the first step in using that stress for good.

Support for stress can look like a lot of different things depending on the person. This can look like talking about stressful situations to people who can help you problem solve, Checking in with other members of your coaching staff, or even writing things down to go back to when you’re in similar situations in the future.

Managing stress is also a really personal experience that varies person to person but a few of the heavy hitters that work for a lot of people include stepping away from the situation for as long as allows (even 3 seconds is helpful), slowing down your thinking to support problem solving, and working on your perspective of challenges. All of which are tools and skills that can be grown and developed.

What ways do you manage stress and where are you lacking?

https://doi.org/10.1080/10413200.2024.2344847