talbotcox wrote:
Eh might be looking a tad bit to far. He is a professional athlete. I think anyone who can’t compete in their profession will get pretty depressed or down if they can’t do that. A relapse would be the last thing on his mind. Knowing Lionel he is sitting back and journaling every move he made and figuring out how to come back and be the best. I think there would actually be a problem if he wasn’t depressed or down that he was injured. That’s when you would need to take a step back and decide if you should even be racing professionally.
Sebastian is about to put out a video over his most recent injury. Because he was depressed and questioned retirement. Does that mean he needs to get therapy? No it means that he is a strong hearted athlete and has passion for what he does.
I recently had to serve a one year media ban from WTC events. I was most certainly depressed some nights and cried myself to sleep. Because I could not do or have access to something I was extremely passionate about. That doesn’t mean that I need therapy or counseling. Lol
One of the comments I respect most about Lionel was a comment he made on TRS about the day he stops loving triathlon is the day he quits. While I really respect this comment I also don't like it some extent. The reality is that most people are in jobs and careers they hate or don't have a huge and TRUE passion for yet they do them day in and day out. The difference is that you and Lionel have a passion for what you do. People who have hobbies and are able to turn them into professions are special people to say the least, but it is also dangerous and slippery slope because it can leave few outlets. I am glad he is sitting back and journaling every move but maybe a step away from triathlon would be an even better move. From my experience with pro athletes across all sports is they have a very hard time stepping away from that specific niche but I think it would be healthy for them to do so mentally as much physically. This is one reason why I think mediation is such a powerful thing as it teaches you to sit still and quiet the mind. This can be a hard thing to do for any athlete let alone a professional endurance athlete.
I don't really want to get into the depression zone too much, but I don't think depression is 100% requirement for those that can't do their passion. I think the strongest (mentally) athletes will understand that it is all part of the process and have the skills to cope with it and channel their energy in other directions. While I don't think Lionel is going to go back down the dark road, I do think it is important to find other avenues to channel the energy whatever that might be. The reason for this is that staying in the triathlon focus can just lead to a cycle of thoughts about how that is what you want to do, but you still can't and then the sadness and depression take over.
Now obviously there are a lot of pieces to triathlon outside of just the physical training aspect. I think there is plenty to get excited about personally, and that offer lots of area for improvement. However, having never suffered from depression myself, only seriously dating someone with severe clinical depression, I believe I can honestly say that some people just have a mind wired in a completely different manner than mine. Some people just get stuck in a negative feedback loop. The mind, addiction, and brain chemicals are an interesting area and I have a special regard for high-level athletes either thru injury or retirement.
Not to get too off-topic, but did Sebastian talk at all about his injury publicly. I would be curious to see what he has to say having trained with him a few times and also really enjoying how he thinks about triathlon.
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