Lulu Lockjaw
Showing posts with label Roller Derby. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Roller Derby. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Monday, January 24, 2011
Friday, June 12, 2009
Avoiding Burnout
Oh man, I am such a bad blogger, and now that my blog is on the SCDG website santacruzderbygirls.org, I really am pressured to keep up with this thing. The truth is that I am really busy. I know, I know, what derby girls isn’t and how many times have I posted that in my blog. Unfortunately, it’s only June and I am already throwing around the B word, BURNOUT. So to all my fellow derby sisters, here is an interesting article posted on some yahoo forum that I picked up. There are a few girls on my league that I considered emailing this directly to them, but I figured everyone could use the information, including myself.
"Avoiding Burnout"
If constant stress has you feeling disillusioned, helpless, and completely worn out, you may be suffering from burnout. When you're burned out, problems seem insurmountable, everything looks bleak, and it's difficult to muster up the energy to care—let alone do something about your situation.
The unhappiness and detachment burnout causes can threaten your job, your relationships, and your health. But burnout can be healed. If you recognize the signs and symptoms of burnout in its early stages, simple stress management strategies may be enough to solve the problem. In the later stages of burnout, recovery may take more time and effort, but you can still regain your balance by reassessing your priorities, making time for yourself, and seeking support.
What is Burnout?
Burnout occurs where people who have previously been highly committed to a sport lose interest and motivation.
Typically it will occur in hard working, hard training, hard driven people, who become emotionally, psychologically or physically exhausted. This can occur where:
you find it difficult to say 'no' to additional commitments or responsibilities
someone has been under intense and sustained pressure for some time
a perfectionist coach does not delegate
someone is trying to achieve too much
someone has been giving too much emotional support for too long
Often it will express itself in a reduction in motivation, volume and quality of performance, or in dissatisfaction with or departure from the sport altogether.
"Avoiding Burnout"
If constant stress has you feeling disillusioned, helpless, and completely worn out, you may be suffering from burnout. When you're burned out, problems seem insurmountable, everything looks bleak, and it's difficult to muster up the energy to care—let alone do something about your situation.
The unhappiness and detachment burnout causes can threaten your job, your relationships, and your health. But burnout can be healed. If you recognize the signs and symptoms of burnout in its early stages, simple stress management strategies may be enough to solve the problem. In the later stages of burnout, recovery may take more time and effort, but you can still regain your balance by reassessing your priorities, making time for yourself, and seeking support.
What is Burnout?
Burnout occurs where people who have previously been highly committed to a sport lose interest and motivation.
Typically it will occur in hard working, hard training, hard driven people, who become emotionally, psychologically or physically exhausted. This can occur where:
you find it difficult to say 'no' to additional commitments or responsibilities
someone has been under intense and sustained pressure for some time
a perfectionist coach does not delegate
someone is trying to achieve too much
someone has been giving too much emotional support for too long
Often it will express itself in a reduction in motivation, volume and quality of performance, or in dissatisfaction with or departure from the sport altogether.
Symptoms of Burnout
Burnout will normally occur slowly, over a long period of time. It may express itself physically or mentally. Symptoms of burnout are shown below:
Physical Burnout
Feelings of intense fatigue
Vulnerability to viral infection
Immune breakdown
Mental Burnout
Feeling of lack of control over commitments
An incorrect belief that you are accomplishing less
A growing tendency to think negatively
Loss of a sense of purpose and energy
Increasing detachment from relationships that causes conflict and stress, adding to burn-out
Burnout will normally occur slowly, over a long period of time. It may express itself physically or mentally. Symptoms of burnout are shown below:
Physical Burnout
Feelings of intense fatigue
Vulnerability to viral infection
Immune breakdown
Mental Burnout
Feeling of lack of control over commitments
An incorrect belief that you are accomplishing less
A growing tendency to think negatively
Loss of a sense of purpose and energy
Increasing detachment from relationships that causes conflict and stress, adding to burn-out
Avoiding Burnout
If you are training and performing hard, then you should take great care not to burnout.
You can avoid physical burnout by keeping the sport fun: intense, difficult training sessions that significantly improve technique should be mixed with lighter, enjoyable sessions that use new skills to good advantage. A relatively slow build-up from off-seasons can be adopted so that your body is not put under excessive stress. You should respect feelings of intense physical fatigue and rest appropriately.
Similarly, you can avoid mental burnout by ensuring that the sport remains fun: there is a limit to your mental energy that you should respect. As you get better at a sport, people will want more and more of your time, and will rely on you more and more. It is easy for commitments to get bigger and bigger: people tend to be quite happy to consume other peoples mental resources without worrying about the consequences. You must learn to say 'No' to commitments that you do not want to take on - otherwise you will be in severe danger of burning out as you become unhappy with your situation. Involvement in sport must be fun, otherwise there is no point in doing it.
If you are training and performing hard, then you should take great care not to burnout.
You can avoid physical burnout by keeping the sport fun: intense, difficult training sessions that significantly improve technique should be mixed with lighter, enjoyable sessions that use new skills to good advantage. A relatively slow build-up from off-seasons can be adopted so that your body is not put under excessive stress. You should respect feelings of intense physical fatigue and rest appropriately.
Similarly, you can avoid mental burnout by ensuring that the sport remains fun: there is a limit to your mental energy that you should respect. As you get better at a sport, people will want more and more of your time, and will rely on you more and more. It is easy for commitments to get bigger and bigger: people tend to be quite happy to consume other peoples mental resources without worrying about the consequences. You must learn to say 'No' to commitments that you do not want to take on - otherwise you will be in severe danger of burning out as you become unhappy with your situation. Involvement in sport must be fun, otherwise there is no point in doing it.
If you are in Danger of Burning Out...
If you feel that you are in danger of burning out, or are not enjoying your sport, the following points can help you correct the situation:
Re-evaluate your goals and prioritize them
Evaluate the demands placed on you and see how they fit in with your goals
Identify your ability to comfortably meet these demands.
If you are over-involved, reduce the commitments that are excessive
If people demand too much emotional energy, become more unapproachable and less sympathetic. Involve other people in a supportive role. You owe it to yourself to avoid being bled dry emotionally.
Learn stress management skills
Examine other areas in your life which are generating stress, such as work or family, and try to solve problems and reduce the stress
Get the support of your friends and family in reducing stress
Ensure that you are following a healthy lifestyle:
Get adequate sleep and rest to maintain your energy levels
Ensure that you are eating a healthy, balanced diet - a bad diet can make you ill or feel bad.
Get adequate regular aerobic exercise
Limit your caffeine and alcohol intake
Perhaps develop alternative activities such as a relaxing hobby to take your mind off problems
Acknowledge your own humanity: remember that you have a right to pleasure and a right to relaxation
If you feel that you are in danger of burning out, or are not enjoying your sport, the following points can help you correct the situation:
Re-evaluate your goals and prioritize them
Evaluate the demands placed on you and see how they fit in with your goals
Identify your ability to comfortably meet these demands.
If you are over-involved, reduce the commitments that are excessive
If people demand too much emotional energy, become more unapproachable and less sympathetic. Involve other people in a supportive role. You owe it to yourself to avoid being bled dry emotionally.
Learn stress management skills
Examine other areas in your life which are generating stress, such as work or family, and try to solve problems and reduce the stress
Get the support of your friends and family in reducing stress
Ensure that you are following a healthy lifestyle:
Get adequate sleep and rest to maintain your energy levels
Ensure that you are eating a healthy, balanced diet - a bad diet can make you ill or feel bad.
Get adequate regular aerobic exercise
Limit your caffeine and alcohol intake
Perhaps develop alternative activities such as a relaxing hobby to take your mind off problems
Acknowledge your own humanity: remember that you have a right to pleasure and a right to relaxation
Late Stages of Burn-Out
If you are in late stages of burn-out, feeling deeply demotivated and disenchanted with your sport, get help from a good psychologist.
If you are in late stages of burn-out, feeling deeply demotivated and disenchanted with your sport, get help from a good psychologist.
If You Have Burned Out...
Do not worry. If you are so demotivated in your sport that for a time you do not want to continue it, then drop it for a while. If you come back later, you may find that you start to enjoy it again, and can take on only those commitments you want to.
You may, however, find that you have absolutely no interest in continuing with the sport. In this case it is best to drop it altogether. If you are the sort of person who has burned out, i.e. highly motivated and hard driving, then a complete change of direction may be appropriate - it is very likely that you will find another area in which you will excel. You will find that you are only demotivated and listless in the area in which you burned out.
The difference is that you will have already burned out once: next time you now know the signs to look for and the things to watch. You will be able to pace yourself, and control your energy much more effectively, ensuring that you operate at stress levels where you can give your optimum performance.
The difference between stress and burnout
Burnout may be the result of unrelenting stress, but it isn't the same as too much stress. Stress, by and large, involves too much: too many pressures that demand too much of you physically and psychologically. Stressed people can still imagine, though, that if they can just get everything under control, they'll feel better.
Burnout, on the other hand, is about not enough. Being burned out means feeling empty, devoid of motivation, and beyond caring. People experiencing burnout often don't see any hope of positive change in their situations. If excessive stress is like drowning in responsibilities, burnout is being all dried up. One other difference between stress and burnout: While you're usually aware of being under a lot of stress, you don't always notice burnout when it happens.
Closing Tips on dealing with Burnout: The "Three R" Approach
Recognize – Watch for the warning signs of burnout
Reverse – Undo the damage by managing stress and seeking support
Resilience – Build your resilience to stress by taking care of your physical and emotional health
Do not worry. If you are so demotivated in your sport that for a time you do not want to continue it, then drop it for a while. If you come back later, you may find that you start to enjoy it again, and can take on only those commitments you want to.
You may, however, find that you have absolutely no interest in continuing with the sport. In this case it is best to drop it altogether. If you are the sort of person who has burned out, i.e. highly motivated and hard driving, then a complete change of direction may be appropriate - it is very likely that you will find another area in which you will excel. You will find that you are only demotivated and listless in the area in which you burned out.
The difference is that you will have already burned out once: next time you now know the signs to look for and the things to watch. You will be able to pace yourself, and control your energy much more effectively, ensuring that you operate at stress levels where you can give your optimum performance.
The difference between stress and burnout
Burnout may be the result of unrelenting stress, but it isn't the same as too much stress. Stress, by and large, involves too much: too many pressures that demand too much of you physically and psychologically. Stressed people can still imagine, though, that if they can just get everything under control, they'll feel better.
Burnout, on the other hand, is about not enough. Being burned out means feeling empty, devoid of motivation, and beyond caring. People experiencing burnout often don't see any hope of positive change in their situations. If excessive stress is like drowning in responsibilities, burnout is being all dried up. One other difference between stress and burnout: While you're usually aware of being under a lot of stress, you don't always notice burnout when it happens.
Closing Tips on dealing with Burnout: The "Three R" Approach
Recognize – Watch for the warning signs of burnout
Reverse – Undo the damage by managing stress and seeking support
Resilience – Build your resilience to stress by taking care of your physical and emotional health
Friday, April 10, 2009
363 days to go...
The older I get, the less stoked I am on my birthday. It's not the "getting older" aspect, even though I bought Revitalift Anti Aging cream last night, but there is something depressing about the day.
Matty and my dad sent me flowers, that was sweet, my office smells nice!
Went to dinner on the wharf, Riva's, it was romantical. Matty and I ate way too much food, it hurt. Walked to the end of the wharf, made fun of the sea lions, bought candy at Marini's!
The best part of the night, PHOTO BOOTH pictures at the Boardwalk. Even though I don't photograph well and I criticized every picture of me!
It was totally mellow, which is how I like it. I don't like when people make a big deal out of my birthday, anything that draws attention to me I can live without.
Roxy made me the BEST cupcakes ever and brought them to practice last night, she even put chocolate dipped strawberries on them. She's so awesome and talented!
I guess I am just tired of being in my 20's! I wanna be in my thirties already. I still feel like a kid, even though for the most part my life is pretty grown-up. Do you think that at 12:01 am on my 30th birthday I'll fell any different?
363 more days to go, and I will be counting them down.
Matty and my dad sent me flowers, that was sweet, my office smells nice!
Went to dinner on the wharf, Riva's, it was romantical. Matty and I ate way too much food, it hurt. Walked to the end of the wharf, made fun of the sea lions, bought candy at Marini's!
The best part of the night, PHOTO BOOTH pictures at the Boardwalk. Even though I don't photograph well and I criticized every picture of me!
It was totally mellow, which is how I like it. I don't like when people make a big deal out of my birthday, anything that draws attention to me I can live without.
Roxy made me the BEST cupcakes ever and brought them to practice last night, she even put chocolate dipped strawberries on them. She's so awesome and talented!
I guess I am just tired of being in my 20's! I wanna be in my thirties already. I still feel like a kid, even though for the most part my life is pretty grown-up. Do you think that at 12:01 am on my 30th birthday I'll fell any different?
363 more days to go, and I will be counting them down.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Egotism ain't my thing...
e·go·tist
n.
1. A conceited, boastful person.
2. A selfish, self-centered person.
ego·tistic, ego·tisti·cal adj.
ego·tisti·cal·ly adv.
I know, this isn't really derby related, well maybe it is...
Egotistical people really get my goat.
It's one thing to acknowledge when you accomplished something or to be proud of something, BUT it's a whole different story when you're constantly patting yourself on the back.
Me for example, I know when I make a mistake on the track, and I know when I do something that kicks ass. I try not to harp on the mistakes, I'll learn. I also don't wander aound telling people how great I played and how I did X,W and Z. I know what I did right and wrong, and I sure don't need to let other people know. If people want to compliment me, I will graciously take it, but blush and be uncomfortable the enitre time. I'm just not one for tooting my own horn I guess, and I think that makes me so irritated when other people do. What, are they expecting a cookie or something.
There's a difference between being insecure and being humble.
n.
1. A conceited, boastful person.
2. A selfish, self-centered person.
ego·tistic, ego·tisti·cal adj.
ego·tisti·cal·ly adv.
I know, this isn't really derby related, well maybe it is...
Egotistical people really get my goat.
It's one thing to acknowledge when you accomplished something or to be proud of something, BUT it's a whole different story when you're constantly patting yourself on the back.
Me for example, I know when I make a mistake on the track, and I know when I do something that kicks ass. I try not to harp on the mistakes, I'll learn. I also don't wander aound telling people how great I played and how I did X,W and Z. I know what I did right and wrong, and I sure don't need to let other people know. If people want to compliment me, I will graciously take it, but blush and be uncomfortable the enitre time. I'm just not one for tooting my own horn I guess, and I think that makes me so irritated when other people do. What, are they expecting a cookie or something.
There's a difference between being insecure and being humble.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Dream In Derby
I had a dream that I made out with someone in a supply closet last night. I can't say who the person was, but they are kind of a big deal to me.
I usually don't remember my dreams, but lately, I've been having weird derby dreams. At first I thought they were attributed to our bout, but that's come and gone and the dreams are still here.
Its probably due to stress, the new season, or *insert anything derby related here*!
I am disappointed, I haven't traveled around as much as I would like for bouts. I missed the Oakland Outlaws vs Port City bout, and I'm not sure I will make the CCRD vs Sacred bout this weekend, though I'd really love to be there! Also some great banked track action happening in LA this weekend, LADD Fight Crew vs SDDD The Swarm, which I so wish I was at.
Maybe when the dust settles and I get back into the groove of things I'll be able to travel around more.
I love derby, watching, playing, teaching.
Hello, my name is Lulu and I am a derbyholic!
I usually don't remember my dreams, but lately, I've been having weird derby dreams. At first I thought they were attributed to our bout, but that's come and gone and the dreams are still here.
Its probably due to stress, the new season, or *insert anything derby related here*!
I am disappointed, I haven't traveled around as much as I would like for bouts. I missed the Oakland Outlaws vs Port City bout, and I'm not sure I will make the CCRD vs Sacred bout this weekend, though I'd really love to be there! Also some great banked track action happening in LA this weekend, LADD Fight Crew vs SDDD The Swarm, which I so wish I was at.
Maybe when the dust settles and I get back into the groove of things I'll be able to travel around more.
I love derby, watching, playing, teaching.
Hello, my name is Lulu and I am a derbyholic!
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
It feels like forever ago
Um…Holy Crap…We won! We effing won the bout against the LADD Sirens 128-122. I am still in shock. I mean LA is a big deal. I know I keep saying that, but they are a big deal. 
I was petrified for two weeks before this bout, especially after finding out that I would be jamming. The day of the bout was the worst bit of anxiety that I’ve ever had before a bout. I actually slept well the night before, but I had extremely weird derby dreams, where SCRG was bouting SVRG, but it was all underwater. That had me freaked out, I was reading into my dreams, thinking I was going to lose it.
Even at breakfast I couldn’t keep my cool, I had a mild freak out, sorry Eden! I did get really awesome hugs from everyone though! All day I tried to keep my mind occupied, running errands, hanging out with my boyfriend, laughing with the wives, anything to keep the fear from setting in. There is this monkey that hangs out in my head; usually the monkey is dormant, but on days when I am doing something critical, he starts telling me that I suck. It’s quite frustrating, especially when I start to believe him.
When I got to the Civic, my nerves were out of control. I couldn’t sit still, I wandered around, put my war face on (totally kidding), got more hugs, had the lesbots work on me. Finally it was time for warming up; I put on all my gear and got out on the track. We did a nice team warmup, I practiced some starts and jamming through the pack, the floor was slippery, scary! My mouth was dry as a bone, I couldn’t catch my breath! I kept thinking, “Why do I do this? Isn’t this supposed to be fun?” Even when we were lined up to get announced, I turned to Weezy and told her I wanted to go home. Of course she looked at me like I was crazy! As we got announced, I couldn’t even look at the crowd.
When I got to the Civic, my nerves were out of control. I couldn’t sit still, I wandered around, put my war face on (totally kidding), got more hugs, had the lesbots work on me. Finally it was time for warming up; I put on all my gear and got out on the track. We did a nice team warmup, I practiced some starts and jamming through the pack, the floor was slippery, scary! My mouth was dry as a bone, I couldn’t catch my breath! I kept thinking, “Why do I do this? Isn’t this supposed to be fun?” Even when we were lined up to get announced, I turned to Weezy and told her I wanted to go home. Of course she looked at me like I was crazy! As we got announced, I couldn’t even look at the crowd. 
We huddled up, we stomped our feet, we chanted, I got chills, I was READY!
Some times I need to be so nervous to push me to do my best. My boyfriend told me to be nervous, but to harness it, and use it during the game. And I used it. I jammed a lot this game, that when I did go into the pack, I was more scared to block than to jam! Wow, I actually like jamming! There are definitely plays, strategies, ideas that I need to work on and our team needs to work on, but I am so proud of us. We came together as a team, used everything we’ve learned over the last 2 months and communicated. The best compliment of the night was when PITA leaned over to me in the pack and told me that they had completely underestimated us and that at half time they had to scramble to counter our plays, which they did nicely. She told me that she would be surprised if we weren’t WFTDA by the end of the year!!!!
Overall, best bout I’ve ever played. I was confident, but not cocky. I was physically and mentally prepared. I made mistakes and I learned from them. I played hard and I played smart. I played as a team; I did not play my own game out there. Most importantly, I HAD FUN. Because as nervous and anxious as I get before a bout, as soon as that whistle blows, I’m playing derby, and that makes me happy!
Overall, best bout I’ve ever played. I was confident, but not cocky. I was physically and mentally prepared. I made mistakes and I learned from them. I played hard and I played smart. I played as a team; I did not play my own game out there. Most importantly, I HAD FUN. Because as nervous and anxious as I get before a bout, as soon as that whistle blows, I’m playing derby, and that makes me happy!
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Time and Money
As I was dragging my tired body out of bed today, I was asking myself, why do I do this? I am mentally, emotionally and physically exhausted. I think I might have almost fallen asleep, driving, on my way to work this morning. In my head, it doesn’t seem like such a time commitment. A couple of nights here, a few mornings there, I don’t really notice. On paper, it’s a time commitment. Damn me for having an addictive personality and damn roller derby for being so addicting. I can never do anything at 50%; I always have to give it my all! I don’t want to be mediocre, I want to be the best, and I will put in however much time I need to do that. I’ve never experienced anything like roller derby before. I’ve played team sports my whole life, but nothing compared to this level of involvement. Not only do I practice three nights a week, but I have board meetings, league meetings, coaching meetings, captains meetings. Do other derby leagues have this many meetings? All of this, on top of a 45 hour work week for my “real” job. I can’t wait until we start practicing on Sunday mornings, only one more week, then I might feel like there is a break in my time. Oh and the time I spend researching on the internet, when I should be working is REDICULOUS. I spend more time on Yahoo groups and coaching forums, then I realize. And the money I shell out for this. Dues, new skates, wheels, tights, socks, booty shorts, hoodies, shirts and they all have to have my name and number on them, I mean god forbid somebody not know who I am. I had to have custom skates, with custom colors! I have to have the best wheels and I rarely care about the cost. In this sense, I am a snob, and I pay the price for it. With all that said, I wouldn’t trade my life for anything. I have the best teammates, my derby wives are amazing, my body feels great, I am a part of something that is bigger than me, bigger than Santa Cruz Rollergirls, I am part of a fast growing community of women just like me!
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