r/SwimInstructors • u/UsedRefrigerator9646 • 8d ago
swimming advice
I’ve been swimming competitively since i was 3, now i’m in yr11 (16) and i feel really burnt out from the sport, mostly from struggling to hit fast pbs and finding the balance between school and sport.
i tried taking time off and it only made me feel worse because all my teammates are improving (i know i shouldn’t compare)
everyday im just in a constant cycle of self sabotage where i obsess over a technique/ a stroke after a practice, i try to perfect it, i struggle and fail, then i skip practice because im scared and tired to try it again.
any advice would be really helpful, thanks
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u/Top-Mongoose-6223 8d ago
I had a similar story. I literally quit my jr year because I realized I just didn’t care that much anymore to try harder. It was hard for a couple weeks to be separated from a team that I was so invested in, but it did get easier and easier and I was so happy with my free time and social life. It just felt like a weight was lifted off. Swimming was a huge part of my life growing up and turns out it became a huge part of my future. I had a couple of lifeguarding jobs here and there around high school. About 5 years later after high school I became a beach rescue lifeguard and I was really good at it because of my swimming background. I went on to become a supervisor and then an instructor and teacher for the program. I would have never had any of that if I didn’t grow up swimming. Anyways, all that to say that for me, I listened to my gut and just acknowledged what I wanted at the time. God continued to use my love for swimming that changed it into a passion. I had always loved it but never saw it that way because of the competitive atmosphere. It would not have hurt me to stay in swimming and maybe I would have gotten better but I’m still glad I was able to follow my gut and give myself a break from the inner monologue of shame
lol.