Climbing Out of a Slump

Photo by John T on Unsplash

Slumps are pretty common in any sport or profession. When you exert too much energy than you can handle, your body and your mind start breaking down. So you lose focus and heart which make you perform poorly or even fail. I have experienced erratic ups and downs in chess as well. I'm not a professional but I noticed that my mood affects my performance. The way I approach a game will be different when I'm distracted or anxious, indifferent, pensive, and happy.

Everyone experiences it

As I said, even professionals go through lows in their careers. Think about Tiger Woods for example. He was at the top of his game right up to his injury and personal issues. Some may say he's no longer at peak form today but with his first ever win in a Masters tournament after almost 15 years, he showed people that he still has some fight left in him.

Another good example is my country's own Manny Pacquiao who was the pound-for-pound king and dominated the boxing ring for the better part of the 2000s and early part of the 2010s. Until his age started to show and other things took priority. He even parted ways with his longtime friend and coach, Freddie Roach. He suffered his biggest losses against Juan Manuel Marquez and then the controversial fights against Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Jeff Horn. However, despite all the challenges, he still keeps fighting. He works hard and trains rigorously whenever he has matches. He was able to climb out of his slump.

Even the best of us experience slumps and they have spend years of their lives training for their passion. It may be that the more we put in energy and effort but start to lose sight of other important things like our health or our relationships, it begins to impact our performance. We are all just human anyway and even the small things can affect us in big ways.

How to get out of a slump

There is no surefire way of getting out of a slump. No one can rush you through a slump. Athletes aren't the only people who go through these dry "desert" moments when nothing seems to go right for us. Writers, actors, CEOs, everyone has them.

Different people have their own ways of bouncing back. For example, writers who experience writer's block may take some time off to travel or experience new things so that they may find inspiration for an article or a novel they are working on. Other people might spend more time with their family and loved ones. Taking a vacation is possibly one of the best ways to take your mind off the stress and the work. It helps your mind clear up and relax so that it can revitalize itself and feel refreshed.

In some cases, people might even get over a slump by just sleeping it off. Perhaps, in the case of chess, one way to go about it is by simply having fun while playing the game. We might be taking things too seriously and that's affecting our psyche, and in turn, our performance. It's natural to get frustrated when you lose a few games or when you don't see the right moves. You might not feel inspired. It may seem like a burden or a chore until you find yourself getting burnt out.

I have found the same principle to be effective for me. That is, when you take a break and focus on yourself. Remember that we all have our limits. We might be pushing ourselves too much. And when we don't see the results of our efforts, burnout follows. So whenever I get in a slump, whether it be in writing, playing chess, or some other endeavor I'm working on, I just set it aside and do what makes me feel fulfilled. It may take some time. Maybe a day or maybe a year, I don't know. But you need to give yourself time to process and to recover.

After a slump

Now, once you find yourself out of the slump, take time to reflect. What did you learn about yourself through that experience? From there, you can prepare for the future so that when you experience it again, you'll know what triggers it and what to do. Also, once you feel rested and ready, I can assure you that the slump will help push you to become better. You will find a renewed vigor with your passion or work.

So don't worry or fear when you get into a slump. It too will pass.