Sunday, October 10, 2021
Mental Health Tips with Emily Brunemann Klueh
Emily Brunemann Klueh is a former U.S. Open Water National Team member who, following her retirement, became a mental health consultant for Team USA and USA Swimming athletes. With October 10 marking World Mental Health Day, USA Swimming has reached out to Klueh for tips that swimmers can apply both in and out of the water.
1. As a former elite swimmer who is now a mental health professional, what do you wish you would have known during your days competing?
As a former elite swimmer, I was lucky enough to have resources around me to help me through some hard times. I have a loving family who I could call on for anything and I attended a university that had clinicians in house for us to work with and of whom I took advantage of. Working with one of these clinicians helped me improve mentally and emotionally, however, not without struggle, steps backwards and falls even after I ended working with them. I will say, and many who know me also know this about myself, that I am very stubborn and would push myself to points where I should have taken a step back. I wish, as an elite swimmer, I would have known those lines and been able to act on them. For many athletes, it is a hard balance between when to push and when to pull back as we are constantly striving for success, managing pressure from internal and external sources as well as trying to navigate life outside of sport. Knowing and challenging myself to put my needs first at times would have been incredibly valuable for me.
2. What made you go into the mental health field?
I have always been a person who loves connecting with others, talking and building relationships. Jon Urbanchek would often give me a hard time at meets because I would have to talk to as many people as I could before getting in to warm up. My love for connecting with others coupled with my own mental health struggles with confidence, self-esteem, disorder eating, and anxiety made my career path pretty easy to know and not easy to achieve, but the path was set. I have a very strong passion for the helping others through struggles and challenging people, especially young adults, to remove barriers whether internal or external that are preventing them from living the life they want to live or succeeding the way they want to succeed. I am very excited about this work and the future of my career. The mental health field has many different challenges, twists and turns so every day is a different day which keeps me on my toes and forces me to be present.
3. What are some pieces of advice you would give to athletes or coaches as they start the new season?
I know, for many, that this new season has begun and is well underway. Something I am seeing across the board with individuals I work with has been the challenge of this new season versus pervious new seasons. For the past year and a half, the world has been shut down more than ever, in-person classes were put on hold, many activities were halted and people became isolated at times. With this new season, athletes cannot just roll out of bed and jump on their computer for class, eat throughout the day when they wanted, or sleep more than before. Adjusting back to things being open has taken some a little more time than expected. Walking to classes, not being able to fuel as often, getting less sleep than before and socially engaging with people again is all mentally, emotionally and physically exhausting. Now, this is not an excuse, but a reality. Some are managing well and some are struggling a little more than others. The start of this year, with training and competing. I would really encourage athletes and coaches to be patient, not to necessarily pull back if they don’t need to, but be patient with results and the adjustment. I would also encourage athletes and coaches because of the adjustment to focus more on short-term and achievable goals in order to build momentum and increase confidence instead of having a major focus on the long-term, end-of-the-season goals. Identifying long term goals but shift the focus to the short term.
4. What advice do you have for an athlete or coach battling mental health challenges during their season?
Prevention and being proactive, in my opinion, are really important when people start to notice they are struggling with mental health concerns. In the athletics world, there is often this "tough it out" mentality and it is not only athletes that often feel this way but coaches as well. Currently there is more talk, support is growing and resources are being pushed for where anyone falls on the continuum of wellbeing, from managing stressors to mental illness. If someone is struggling, reach out for help, talk to primary care physicians about referrals, or utilize psychology today to find a provider in their area. In addition to seeking professional help, if needed, sometimes increasing self-care and utilizing apps such as Headspace or Calm can be what someone needs to get back to living how they want to live. I will say, these programs are not to replace professional help if that is truly what is needed. I am a big believer in knowledge is power; knowing yourself, knowing your resources and knowing things can get better with help and sometimes taking a step back is important.
5. How can athletes overcome the challenges of not achieving their results-based goals?
When we don’t achieve what we set out to achieve after all the work, all the time, all the energy and emotion is disappointing. There is no way to sugar coat that nor is it helpful to minimize or devalue the frustration. It is important to feel the emotions we feel when disappointment occurs, however we do not need to define ourselves by that disappointment or live in that disappointment for extended periods of time. I often encourage athletes to feel the way they feel and be able to ask themselves what they learned about that season or about that competition. I have rarely seen a situation where there is only one reason why the result did not end up the way the athlete wanted. Most of the time, there are many factors contributing to produce the result. Sport, in general, is a love/hate relationship. There are highs and lows, twists and turns and nobody’s journey is ever straight. Hard-shifting the mind to focus on the journey and learning from it can help people stay hungry for improvements, focusing just on the result can lead to burnout and frustration. This is also where small, achievable goals can be helpful.
1. As a former elite swimmer who is now a mental health professional, what do you wish you would have known during your days competing?
As a former elite swimmer, I was lucky enough to have resources around me to help me through some hard times. I have a loving family who I could call on for anything and I attended a university that had clinicians in house for us to work with and of whom I took advantage of. Working with one of these clinicians helped me improve mentally and emotionally, however, not without struggle, steps backwards and falls even after I ended working with them. I will say, and many who know me also know this about myself, that I am very stubborn and would push myself to points where I should have taken a step back. I wish, as an elite swimmer, I would have known those lines and been able to act on them. For many athletes, it is a hard balance between when to push and when to pull back as we are constantly striving for success, managing pressure from internal and external sources as well as trying to navigate life outside of sport. Knowing and challenging myself to put my needs first at times would have been incredibly valuable for me.
2. What made you go into the mental health field?
I have always been a person who loves connecting with others, talking and building relationships. Jon Urbanchek would often give me a hard time at meets because I would have to talk to as many people as I could before getting in to warm up. My love for connecting with others coupled with my own mental health struggles with confidence, self-esteem, disorder eating, and anxiety made my career path pretty easy to know and not easy to achieve, but the path was set. I have a very strong passion for the helping others through struggles and challenging people, especially young adults, to remove barriers whether internal or external that are preventing them from living the life they want to live or succeeding the way they want to succeed. I am very excited about this work and the future of my career. The mental health field has many different challenges, twists and turns so every day is a different day which keeps me on my toes and forces me to be present.
3. What are some pieces of advice you would give to athletes or coaches as they start the new season?
I know, for many, that this new season has begun and is well underway. Something I am seeing across the board with individuals I work with has been the challenge of this new season versus pervious new seasons. For the past year and a half, the world has been shut down more than ever, in-person classes were put on hold, many activities were halted and people became isolated at times. With this new season, athletes cannot just roll out of bed and jump on their computer for class, eat throughout the day when they wanted, or sleep more than before. Adjusting back to things being open has taken some a little more time than expected. Walking to classes, not being able to fuel as often, getting less sleep than before and socially engaging with people again is all mentally, emotionally and physically exhausting. Now, this is not an excuse, but a reality. Some are managing well and some are struggling a little more than others. The start of this year, with training and competing. I would really encourage athletes and coaches to be patient, not to necessarily pull back if they don’t need to, but be patient with results and the adjustment. I would also encourage athletes and coaches because of the adjustment to focus more on short-term and achievable goals in order to build momentum and increase confidence instead of having a major focus on the long-term, end-of-the-season goals. Identifying long term goals but shift the focus to the short term.
4. What advice do you have for an athlete or coach battling mental health challenges during their season?
Prevention and being proactive, in my opinion, are really important when people start to notice they are struggling with mental health concerns. In the athletics world, there is often this "tough it out" mentality and it is not only athletes that often feel this way but coaches as well. Currently there is more talk, support is growing and resources are being pushed for where anyone falls on the continuum of wellbeing, from managing stressors to mental illness. If someone is struggling, reach out for help, talk to primary care physicians about referrals, or utilize psychology today to find a provider in their area. In addition to seeking professional help, if needed, sometimes increasing self-care and utilizing apps such as Headspace or Calm can be what someone needs to get back to living how they want to live. I will say, these programs are not to replace professional help if that is truly what is needed. I am a big believer in knowledge is power; knowing yourself, knowing your resources and knowing things can get better with help and sometimes taking a step back is important.
5. How can athletes overcome the challenges of not achieving their results-based goals?
When we don’t achieve what we set out to achieve after all the work, all the time, all the energy and emotion is disappointing. There is no way to sugar coat that nor is it helpful to minimize or devalue the frustration. It is important to feel the emotions we feel when disappointment occurs, however we do not need to define ourselves by that disappointment or live in that disappointment for extended periods of time. I often encourage athletes to feel the way they feel and be able to ask themselves what they learned about that season or about that competition. I have rarely seen a situation where there is only one reason why the result did not end up the way the athlete wanted. Most of the time, there are many factors contributing to produce the result. Sport, in general, is a love/hate relationship. There are highs and lows, twists and turns and nobody’s journey is ever straight. Hard-shifting the mind to focus on the journey and learning from it can help people stay hungry for improvements, focusing just on the result can lead to burnout and frustration. This is also where small, achievable goals can be helpful.