Leonard Ortiz/Zuma Press. 60 Effective Journaling Prompts for Athletes - Wanderings We have a special treat lined up just for you at the enda resource designed to kickstart your own journaling journey and unleash your full potential as a student-athlete. Are there things you could have done differently with a better outcome? Journaling Evokes Mindfulness There's a solid link between being happy and practicing mindfulness. For athletes, it can seem obvious to journal about recent performance, training, or difficulties directly related to the sport or activity they do. It can come in handy if you are triggered often by small things, as you can confront those emotions the moment they arise. Some call it free form, this allows your athletes to write what they want and when they want. One study published in the journal of JMIR Mental Health compared the mental health effects of those who journaled to those who didn't. Those who partook in the self-care practice experienced greater mental resilience, reduced stress, and improved . Our experts continually monitor the health and wellness space, and we update our articles when new information becomes available. 4. Table of Contents Benefits of JournalingGratitude Journal Your Way To HealthIncrease Your Motivation and ProductivityGet Better SleepBoost Your Immune SystemDeal With Stress, Anxiety, and DepressionManage Symptoms Of TraumaA Coping Mechanism For Mental And Physical DisordersJournaling How-To GuideThe Rules: There Are No RulesPlanned JournalOn-The-Fly JournalWellness JournalTry This! Learn more or request a demo of our youth sports software that is helping teams improve communication, organization and player development. What are five things you love about yourself? Some people prefer to do it in the evening to wrap up and reflect on the days events. For example, in one study, patients, families, and healthcare practitioners from a childrens hospital reported a reduction in stress levels after completing this journaling exercise: In a follow-up study 12 to 18 months later, 85 percent of the participants reported that the writing exercise was helpful. Keeping a journal helps you to build a long-term plan, with each and every dayanother paving stone onyour path towards your goals. Some themes that are good starters: What are your goals for the season? Write about a time when you had to make a difficult decision, and how you decided what to do. (2018). Is a cheering crowd more encouraging or distracting for athletes? Focus on your big picture goals. Are you as disciplined as you would like? If not, what stops you from being disciplined? An enduring goal since inception has been to understand how psychological techniques can improve athletic performance. You can even stop in the middle of practice to acknowledge any ideas or sensations that arise. Its a chance to dig deep and figure out who you really are beyond just being a student-athlete. Write about a time you were jealous of someone else, or when someone was jealous of you. (5) And it wasnt just nurses who found respite from coronavirus anxiety through journaling: a simple gratitude writing intervention decreased stress and negative thoughts in a random selection of people during the pandemic. Reduced Stress. Although much evidence exists in the form of meta-analytic reviews related to sport psychology and performance, a systematic review of these meta-analyses is absent from the literature. The positive results were consistent for people who typed their journals or used a voice recorder to put their experiences into words. If you struggle to fall asleep at night, try making a to-do list diary. July 04, 2020 Adding your emotional relationship to eating can also help you understand food cues and find alternatives to, . Write about a time you received praise or encouragement unexpectedly. There are a variety of themes available, from personal reflection to structured food and exercise journals. We avoid using tertiary references. (3) If you struggle to find artistic avenues for writing, use the prompt at the end of this blog post for ideas. Q: Why do student-athletes stop journaling? Many of us know the feeling: lying in bed, drained and craving respite, but unable to fall asleep because of nagging thoughts and worries. However, we cant exactly know how common it is since many people choose to keep their journaling habit private. Several studies show that skipping is a highly effective way to improve cardiovascular fitness and lower blood pressure, says Matthews. What are three words to describe how you feel right now emotionally? By subscribing, you agree to our, keeping a written record of your progress makes you more likely to execute your plan. Strength training is a long-term practice, not a one-off . Once youve calmed down a bit, you might find that your emotions are trying to tell you something: Maybe your anger is a sign that you need to set a stronger boundary with someone. exercise. Start by writing down your goals and breaking them into smaller, actionable steps. Encouraging awareness. There is no perfect kind of journal, your athlete has to feel comfortable with what they write in or on. Its time to unleash your full potential and discover how an athlete journal can empower you on your journey. Some evidence suggests that it might prevent skin aging, treat muscle diseases, help people with multiple sclerosis (MS) to exercise, enhance cognitive ability, and more. Part of playing a sport is the physical part, it is the part that gets you moving and scoring those baskets or goals or touchdowns. Instead, you can use journaling to see your thoughts as separate from you. 10 min read 1 Comment. If you use a watch or app that provides data-based feedback, youll love the satisfaction of uploading that big session, but the same is true when it comes to writing down your training, how it went and how you felt, on paper. Some people like to keep slips of paper with prompts in a jar where they can draw one at random when they need inspiration. The positive effects of journaling can even be felt when not performed daily - helping the individual better understand their needs and boosting their wellbeing (Tartakovsky, 2022). Thats unfortunate, because its pretty important that you understand those trade-offs if you want to optimize your training. If youre still unsure of your unique journaling intentions, try using this series of questions. However, it is an important habit to develop should you wish to enhance your athletic performance and strengthen your mindset. Pennebaker even had a set of writing rules that you could follow. Let whatever happens, happen. Thinking about what was, what is, and what is to come creates a certain sense of optimism, appreciation, and hope. But thats not all! How will you measure your goals progress? Now is the time to reflect on, learn from, and let go of these things. Whatever your athletic or your athletes' goals may be, we can all benefit from the above exercises. Through reflection, you can develop effective coping strategies and cultivate a positive mindset. Keeping a training journal or training diary keeps you accountable. If you wake up tomorrow having everything you want, what does this look like? Journaling regularly can help you relieve stress, anxiety, or depression. I often asked my college athletes to write down goals, action steps, thoughts, feelings, etc. And taking time to reflect upon ones day inevitably reveals something unexpectedly delightful. Evidence overall suggests that athletesparticularly those exposed to lifelong endurance exerciseshow higher CAC scores than the general population 29 and CAC scores might be associated with the incidence of coronary events in this population. Write about someone you know whos a great leader, and what qualities make them great. BarBend is an independent website. Even women suffering from extreme depression show better mental health when tasked with writing a reflection journal.(1). Likewise, journalling can help you learn to seefailureas an opportunity to grow and improve. Can your diary keep you healthy? The Masters athlete in Olympic weightlifting: Training - PLOS In fact, it can be helpful to build your habit by making sure you log at least a few points every day, even if you dont have the time or energy for a more intensive writing session each time. Training smart Putting pen to paper is a great way to help you train smarter. By doing so, you may find that how youre feeling for the day may be connected to your current physical health, too. If the thought of sitting down at planned intervals to journal gives you the jitters, then you might benefit from keeping a small journal with you for on-the-go jotting. Reassess and pick up the habit where you left off, without feeling bad about the break. A good way to start is with the three good things exercise. It increases ambition and creativity. With the correct structure and questions to ask yourself, about 10-15 minutes a day is all that's needed to get the benefits. They can also be useful for looking back and reviewing development over time. Journaling is a powerful tool, especially in the world of athletics, and it can do wonders for student-athletes like you. How could you communicate better? Finish two football workouts and enter the draw to win a pair of VIP match tickets! Being more mindful and reflective about what you're doing byrecording areas of development can help you become a better learner too. Reducing stress Coping with depression Journaling helps you to prioritize your problems & fears Tracking your problems daily helps to see what are the triggers and how to be aware and solve them more effectively Journaling helps to identify negative thoughts and behaviors Clarify your thoughts and feelings & get to know yourself better. As mentioned earlier, many influencers suggest that journaling first thing in the morning is best, as it guarantees that you set up your day mindfully (and that it gets done). How can you show care for a teammate who is having a bad day without embarrassing them? (9) People suffering from sarcoma used journaling as a therapeutic avenue to deal with the discomfort of chemotherapy and were more likely to stay in cancer treatment. To resist the temptation to edit, try writing as fast as possible, she adds. Whats one thing youve achieved recently that makes you proud? Let your journal be your stress-free zone, where you can let it all out and find some inner peace. Set up a comfortable, safe, and quiet space for writing. Learn how to make every youth sports season a success for players, coaches and parents. But, theyre not tracking calories and intake. What did you learn in the past 24-hours that can move you closer to where you want to be? Write whatever thoughts and feelings arise, without censoring yourself. Sport psychology as an academic pursuit is nearly two centuries old. Putting pen to paper is a great way to help you train smarter. It offers a way to express your emotions, track your progress and set goals. Journaling to Improve Your Mental Game and Ease Anxiety Therefore, its clear that not every athletes journal entry has to be focused on athletics or performance to be meaningful for them. Journaling's main claim to fame is that it can improve overall mental well-being. It has been shown in various studies that reflecting on our own emotions, experiences, and anxieties in writing help to reduce stress and improve cognitive function. An Intro to Journaling Prompts for Athletes. Shes the author of the mental health journal Vibe Check: Be Your Best You (Sterling Teen). (7) Those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) showed an increased ability to make efficient and sound decisions (a skill thats sometimes lost after a traumatic experience).(8). Grab a pen and pour out all your worries and frustrations onto the paper. All habits that require self-discipline create a domino effect. Does peer pressure always have a negative connotation? I cannot emphasize this enough. Although the mechanism by which chronic -alanine supplementation could have an ergogenic effect is widely debated, the popular view is that -alanine supplementation augments intramuscular carnosine content, leading to an increase in muscle buffer capacity, a . Baikie KA et al. They are easy to come by. Ever feel anxious, depressed, or just plain bad without knowing exactly why? Approaching journaling with curiosity and observation is key to gaining personal insight and actionable inspiration. (10) Parents in recovery from substance abuse used journaling as a self-care tool that ultimately made their parenting practices more effective. Even if your training is disrupted by injury, keeping your journal going gives you that extra impetus to focus on what you can do (like cross training, stretching, rehab, eating and sleeping well), rather than what you cant always a healthy way to approach setbacks! A group of people was assigned journaling for 15-20 minutes, 3-5 times in a week. Improving the awareness and perception of events. Fifty-nine percent continued using writing to cope with stress. Plus, making a goal around how often and for how long you write has the added feel-good benefits of accomplishment. Write five questions you could ask to get to know someone better. Is it better to address team problems on your own, or should you ask a coach to mediate? Some people say that multitasking is impossible, and its better to concentrate on one task at a time for more extended amounts of time. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our. 1. How did it make you feel? California Moves Toward the Next College Sports Disruption: Sharing After the first and second months, participants reported greater resilience. 30, 31 Notwithstanding, there is also evidence suggesting that, although very high MVPA levels can be associated with higher CAC scores in the .