Time waits for no one. It’s a fact of life that we have to come to terms with, whether we like it or not. As a result, retirement is something that every athlete must face eventually – through their choosing, or enforced (for example, injury or deselection). Just this week, the great Rafa Nadal retired, ending an illustrious career on his own terms, while Luis Nani, once of Manchester United, decided to hang up his boots after a 20-year professional career playing across the world. Transition into retirement can be gradual, over a period of time that the athlete may have control of, or sudden and even unexpected. While each athlete’s journey is unique and a story in its self, a common theme is that the transition into retirement isn’t easy. While some ride off into the sunset with no dream of return, adjusting to their post-sport life, others pine for a return to a life once lived. Here, we take a look at what athletes who are considering, in the process of, or have retired can do to help with the transition to post-sport life.

Lean on Your Support Team

Having a strong support network is essential when experiencing any transition, and especially the case around retirement. Your loved ones, teammates, and coaches can continue to be a source of guidance, even after your competitive days are over. While it may feel like you’re losing the team camaraderie of your teammates or those around you in the sporting context, the relationships you built during your career can still offer valuable support.

Talking to friends, family, colleagues, and coaches can help you process the emotional and psychological aspects of retirement. Of course, a sport psychologist can help support you through the challenges, and help find ways to adjust to life after sport.

Navigating the Loss of Identity and Finding New Purpose

For many athletes, the most difficult part of retirement is the loss of their athletic identity. After dedicating so much of their life to sport, athletes can struggle with a sense of ‘directionlessness’ and loss of purpose. Olympic rower Gearoid Towey shared how retirement impacted him: “That affected me way more than I ever imagined it would. I felt destabilised for the first time in my life, a little bit directionless. I realised that finding something else as satisfying as rowing was going to be a longer process than I imagined.”

As the end of your career approaches, it’s important for athletes to begin identifying their strengths outside of sport. Reflecting on what interests you beyond the sport, and considering how the skills developed in your sporting career can transfer to other areas of life, is crucial. If you haven’t already explored hobbies or new interests, now is the time to start.

To help ease this transition, it’s important to expand your sense of identity beyond sport. This process starts long before retirement by identifying other interests and strengths. If you haven’t yet explored passions outside of your sport, retirement is an opportunity to shift your focus to new pursuits. Whether it’s exploring a new career, developing a hobby, or getting involved in a different type of physical activity, this is the time to discover what excites you.

Take the time to explore:

– What are my strengths beyond sport?

– What skills have I developed in sport that can be applied to other areas (e.g., teamwork, discipline, leadership)?

Get as creative as you feel like to help you fully map out your strengths and skills. How about creating lists, mind maps, or even posters, all of which can help athletes gain clarity and confidence. Struggle to do this on your own? Try tapping into the support networks that we have just talked about. Using the objective perspectives of a trusted friend or family member can help provide clarity to the process.

Understanding and Managing Body Image

Athletes often associate their self-worth with their physical abilities and appearance, yet after retirement, the reduction in training and physical activity can lead to changes in body composition, which may affect self-esteem. North and Lavallee (2004) explored how athletes plan their lives after retirement, finding that athletes focus primarily on starting a professional career, taking a degree, having a family and enjoying life. However, for elite athletes, body changes that occur after retirement was not an aspect that was considered as part of their post-sport career.

Elite athletes train for many years to reach their best physical condition and when this starts to deteriorate it can affect an athlete in many ways. Retirement, and subsequent career change, can prevent the former athlete to keep fit and maintain a new exercise programme. Most elite athletes are used to exercise programmes that involve high intensity and therefore when they begin a new programme the athlete will struggle to adapt, often experiencing bodily changes such as weight gain and loss of muscular mass, which all become worries for an athlete which can cause many problems after retirement

To manage this transition, it’s essential to educate yourself about the natural changes that come with retirement, helping you understand that these changes are normal and preparing for them can help prevent negative feelings about your body. Focus on maintaining a healthy lifestyle post-retirement, but also be kind to yourself as you adjust to a new way of living.

“What If” Lists

Try to begin to think about the “what ifs” of retirement. This will help identify potential challenges that one might face during retirement and create action plans for how these situations can be handled. It’s a proactive way of addressing concerns and building resilience, ensuring that athletes aren’t caught off guard by unexpected changes. Fingers crossed that these never happen, but by doing this you can be slightly more prepared!

– Start by writing down scenarios they fear, such as dealing with loss of identity, physical changes, or emotional struggles.

– Reflect on how these situations might make them feel and what steps they could take to cope.

– Develop an “If… Then” plan for each scenario. For example, “If I feel disconnected after retiring, then I will reach out to former teammates or mentors.”

This technique is not just helpful for retirement but can also improve performance during an athlete’s career. Those that plan for their future tend to experience less stress and perform better in the present. Preparing for the future reduces anxiety, enabling athletes to focus on the here and now.

Letter to Your Future Self

Finally, another valuable strategy is to write a letter to your future self. This exercise encourages athletes to reflect on their careers, acknowledge their achievements, and offer guidance for the challenges that lie ahead. The letter can act as a comforting reminder of the athlete’s accomplishments and a source of encouragement when times get tough.

What to include:

– Acknowledgment of your accomplishments and career highlights.

– Reflection on what you are most proud of.

– Personal advice for handling future challenges, such as retirement.

– Encouragement to stay resilient and find new passions.

– A reminder of the people who can support you during this transition.

This letter can serve as an emotional resource to revisit during difficult times, helping athletes maintain perspective and stay grounded as they face the changes retirement brings.

Final Thoughts

Retirement from elite sport is a complex process that involves physical, emotional, and psychological adjustments. It’s natural to feel a range of emotions, from sadness to anxiety, as you leave behind a world that has been a huge part of who you are for so long. It’s okay to mourn the loss of your career, but it’s equally important to take proactive steps to move forward.

Ultimately, you may be feeling all sorts of different things, and this can depend on if retirement is your decision or not, so processing it and letting these emotions come out (in a productive and healthy way of course!) can be beneficial. However, one should try to avoid becoming ‘stuck’ in this area too long. Instead, aim to focus on finding the right mindset to approach retirement as a challenge over threat. This will allow you to overcome something often painful in the short-term, transforming it into something exciting in the long-term!