Key points

Holidays can add stress for athletes by disrupting routines, rest, and social support.

Whole-person check-ins help athletes feel valued beyond sport and reduce burnout risk.

Rest, sleep, and flexible routines support injury prevention and emotional regulation.

Encouraging identity beyond sport strengthens resilience and long-term motivation.

For many competitive athletes, the holidays don’t feel like a break. Instead, they can feel like a disruption to training, nutrition routines, rest schedules, and performance expectations that athletes may spend all year working to maintain. Add family gatherings, increased social demands, long travel days, irregular sleep, and unpredictable schedules, and suddenly even highly motivated athletes may feel overwhelmed.

Food-related st

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