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THE (FEMALE) ATHLETE'S STRUGGLE
The Identity Crisis
Athletics is a major part of most high-level athletes’ identity and the loss of it can be like the death of one’s self. This is because many athletes place the majority of their identity in God. This high athletic identity can allow athletes to place all of their focus on training and performance leading to great results but it can also cause athletes to be so invested that they will experience a number of harmful things to gain a competitive edge. Many struggles addressed in this project are rooted in a faulty identity. Eating disorders, performance anxieties, amenorrhea are caused by a fear of losing one’s athletic identity and are a way to try to gain control and maintain athletic identity.
First, let’s establish what identity is. According to the Oxford English Dictionary “Identity is the fact of being who or what a person is.” Athletic identity is when athletic participation and success make up what a person is.
“Identity is the fact of being who or what a person is.”
- Oxford English Dictionary
When identity is placed in worldly things there is no guarantee of how long they will last. The only sustainable place to put identity is in God. The world is ever-changing and deteriorating but God is steadfast, always present, we just need to go to Him. By placing our identity in God we can let go of our need to control things to maintain our identity. Instead, we can attribute our gifts and talents that make us unique to Him and know that he can give and take them but that He has a plan. One Christian author writes about “hiding identity in Christ.” This does not mean that you are not individual but that you place your identity in Christ and is protected in Him. It means that you abandon all worldly images about yourself and believe God’s truth about you.
Identity needs to be ROOTED in something stronger than yourself
In talking to a mentor and strong Christian I wondered how we can focus on our identity in God while pursuing and thanking Him for the gifts he has given us. Her answer was that we should look at how our identity in worldly things has changed in the past and continue to change and then look at how our identity in God is steadfast. We will always be a child of God, there is nothing so bad He will turn away from us. The world might turn away from you or close doors but God will never.
Keeping focused on the fact that our identity is in God is a mindful exercise. We must attribute all of our gifts to him. We don’t need to be self-deprecating but also not let compliments get to our heads. Eventually, it becomes more natural to attribute our gifts and success to God as we recognize and remember His place in our lives.