Coaching Under Pressure

We love this work. And it’s a lot. Long days, weird hours, everyone watching, and a team full of humans who bring their whole lives to practice. When recovery slips and home bleeds into work, that’s when the edges fray—performance and joy included. Reviews of coach wellbeing keep pointing to the same culprits: work–home interference, heavy load, not enough real recovery. We can’t coach our way around that without addressing it. shura.shu.ac.uk+1

What we mean by “self-care” (no fluff)

We’re not talking bath bombs. We’re talking responsibility. Nursing theorist Dorothea Orem put it plainly:

Self-care is the practice of activities people initiate and do for themselves to maintain life, health, and well-being. PMC+1

That framing fits coaching. No one can sleep, breathe, or set boundaries for us. We have to initiate.

Why your self-care shows up on the field/court

Team climate tracks the leader. NCAA mental-health guidance is clear: what coaches model and normalize shapes whether athletes use healthy habits and seek help when they need it. Your wellbeing isn’t a perk; it’s part of building a safe, high-performing environment. NCAA.org+1

What actually moves the needle (keep it simple)

Sleep like it’s part of practice. Adults need 7+ hours most nights. Short sleep tanks mood, decision-making, reaction time, and health. Block a consistent sleep window—even in season. AASM+1

Move your own body. You already know this: regular physical activity improves anxiety, depression, sleep, and cognition—and some benefits kick in after a single session. Don’t chase perfect; chase repeatable. PubMed+1

Fuel & hydrate on purpose. Protein at meals, plenty of plants, water bottle in sight. Consistency > novelty.

Guard your boundaries. Choose realistic “on/off” windows for communication. Work–home interference is a prime burnout driver; boundaries are your counterpunch. shura.shu.ac.uk

Don’t do it alone. A 15-minute weekly peer check-in is performance care, not a luxury.

“I’m at zero minutes.” Perfect—start tiny.

Big jumps backfire. We’ll build the floor before we worry about the ceiling.

Week 1 — 2 minutes/day (one big rock):

• Sleep: two nights lights-out 10 minutes earlier; other nights a 2-minute phone-off wind-down.

• Move: 1 minute easy walk + 1 minute mobility (hips/ankles/shoulders).

• Fuel: set out tomorrow’s first protein; fill the bottle.

• Boundaries: Do Not Disturb for 2 minutes.

• Connection: one “thinking of you—how’s your week?” text.

Week 2 — 5 minutes (5 days). Same habit, a little more time. If you miss, do 1 minute right now (never miss twice).

Week 3 — 10 minutes (4 days). Keep the floor at 10. Good days can spill to 15–20, but that’s a bonus, not the new rule.

Make it automatic: If–then plan (“after teeth, then wind-down”), cues you can see (shoes by the door, bottle on desk), and a simple checkbox tracker. You’re building streaks, not chasing perfection.

Not just for coaches

Everything here translates to leaders of all kinds—teachers, managers, captains, parents. If people look to us, our habits ripple.

“No time”? Let’s sanity-check that.

• U.S. adults spend about 2.6 hours/day watching TV on average. That’s ~18 hours a week. Even reclaiming a sliver matters. Bureau of Labor Statistics

• Streaming now accounts for ~45% of TV use—which means a lot of that time is on-demand and movable. Nielsen+1

• Global social media use still sits around 2½–3 hours/day depending on age and region. Shaving five minutes is a win. DataReportal – Global Digital Insights

Trade 2–10 minutes from one screen block for sleep wind-down, a micro-workout, quick prep, or a peer check-in. The ramp above handles the rest.

Bottom line

We’re helpers by nature. But if we’re responsible for people, we’re also responsible to ourselves. In Orem’s terms: we initiate the actions that keep us well—so we can keep showing up for them, and for the long season ahead. PMC