The Athlete Experience with Chronic Illness

07/01/23 • 71 min

In this episode we explore the physical, mental and social aspects of dealing with chronic illness as an athlete —— navigating the physical challenges , learning how to advocate for yourself, and managing the tension of the “athletic mentality" with the realistic need to listen to your body.

We cover various psychological components such as the impact of a lack of understanding from others, the burden of self-doubt, the unpredictable and confusing nature of chronic illness, feelings of weakness and loss of athletic identity . . . we discuss insights into coping with feelings of isolation, changes in relationships, and how to identify your true support network. And we wrap it the discussion by talking about medical retirement, factors involved in making the decision to medically retire, and the pros and cons of staying involved with your sport.

If you are an athlete coping with chronic illness, know that we have incredible respect for all the ways you fight your invisible challenges. We hope this episode provides encouragement to you as well as practical tips and ideas for managing life as an athlete with chronic illness.

For the rest of us, we encourage you to listen in on this discussion, learn about the athlete experience with chronic illness, and share this podcast within your network of athletes, athletic trainers, and coaches. There are athletes out there who need our informed understanding, our empathy, and our support. ❤️💙

Previous Episode

Body Dissatisfaction & Maladaptive Behaviors Following Athletic Retirement

It’s not uncommon for athletes to experience body dissatisfaction and body grief in the transition following their retirement from competition. After all, it’s not especially realistic to maintain the same physique as schedules and priorities shift when the competition days come to an end. What’s much less common though, is meaningful conversation on the topic. Body dissatisfaction and body grief can at times lead to maladaptive behaviors related to food and exercise as it can take some time for athletes to get into a new rhythm and shift expectations. It’s important for athletes in transition to be mindful of thinking patterns and habits related to food and exercise which don’t serve them well.

In this podcast we discuss this topic and the implications for potential eating disorders with Stephanie Wilson, a medically retired athlete who has personally experienced maladaptive behaviors related to food and exercise and now works professionally in this space as a Registered Dietitian specializing in athletes experiencing disordered eating, eating disorders, and Relative Energy Deficiency Syndrome (RED-S).

Join us for this engaging discussion and share with others! You never know who you could help and what important conversations this could start.

Show Notes:

1:47 Stephanie’s background & personal experience

5:05 The complex relationship with food & body for athletes