For athletes, stepping away from training can trigger anxiety, guilt, and even a sense of identity loss—but performance psychology suggests that planned downtime may be just as important as hard workouts. A sports psychologist explains why mental breaks matter, how to take them without self-blame, and how time off can actually set you up for a stronger return. Tap the link in our bio for the research. ✍️ : sweat_science #mental #recovery #training #sweatscience