Post-Event – Impact on Wellbeing & Motivation

How do you look after yourself and get ready to go again?

Wow, it’s all over and I can now relax, catch up on all I’ve missed and have a super good time?

Post a major event, people tend to be really looking forward to what they will do next but often this is easier said than done. It is not uncommon for people to feel a little lost for their mood to drop and to struggle with motivation and mental health.

As defined by WHO, mental health is: “is a state of well-being in which an individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and is able to make a contribution to his or her community.”

In the world of Olympic sport, anecdotal reports and research highlighted that the post-event period can be filled with complex and distressing cognitive and emotional responses (Bradshaw, Howells & Lucassen, 2021). This is not surprising as athletes and staff prepared for between 4-7 years for each Olympics. As part of a team with a common goal, each athlete had clarity of purpose and an extremely structured and intense schedule. In addition, there is the ultimate pressure to deliver at the highest level in achieving a major goal in front of a global audience.

Many similar elements and pressure exist for individuals and teams working in the conference events industry.

If the post event period is not managed well, there is a direct impact on wellbeing and motivation which can lead to maladaptive behaviours. From a performance perspective in elite sport, we have found that a failure to process the emotions that surround performance can lead to the emotions contaminating the vital performance debrief. This leads to confusion, an incorrect analysis of the performance and a lack of clarity on how to progress. With this in mind, it is vital to plan as diligently for what you will do post-event as in the lead up to and during.

Kinchin (2004) describes emotional decompression as “return to a normal, more relaxed state after a period of intense stress, psychological pressure or urgent activity’. Psychological debriefing as defined by Byrd et al (2021) results in increased motivation, emotional recovery, learning and purpose. The research refers to psychological debriefing and emotional decompression as tools to enable an effective transition post an event.

I would like to share with you a tool developed following extensive research by sport psychologists with multiple Olympic experiences. It has been delivered to Olympians and staff post the Tokyo (2020) and Beijing (2022) games and has resulted in a positive impact on both wellbeing and motivation of the athletes.

The Emotional Decompression tool is comprised of four stages. The tool is top and tailed by a hot debrief and then a performance debrief, both of which are common practices in elite sport and other industries. Hot debrief is a term used to denote the often informal review which is done at the end of a major event before everyone returns home. The performance debrief is the more formal review done a few weeks post-event. What is novel about the Emotional Decompression tool is the introduction of the ‘Time Zero’ and the ‘Process the Emotion’ stages.

Time Zero is the time immediately after the event when there is often down time. It is important to plan this time carefully as this is the opportunity to reconnect physically and emotionally with family and friends. The aim during this time is to re-establish the basic needs of belonging, safety, and physical care to maximise restorative care.

Time Zero specifically targets the ability to cope with normal life stressors and contribution and connecting to your community. Time Zero also encourages individuals from an ACT perspective to ride the waves of emotions that are normal to experience.

As one returns to work post Time Zero, it is then time to engage in the 6-step, Process the Emotion stage. The 6-step consultation helps individuals to process the emotions of the event in order to move forward with what is important to them. The stage involves a timeline of meaningful moments, naming and normalising the emotions which accompanied the moments. The stage celebrates positives, whilst exploring what was challenging. It highlights strengths and skills which can be utilised in future endeavours. By the end of the 6-steps there will be clarity on current motivation as well clear immediate actions to implement.

Understanding the influences and pressures on mental health as meeting professionals plan their clients’ events, then deliver onsite are essential. However, it is equally important that one understands and can be proactive in the post-event pressures that inevitably occur. Emotional Decompression is becoming increasingly common practice in Olympic and Professional sport and, with the right team of experts can play a positive role in supporting the mental health and wellbeing of meeting professionals at all levels.

Sarah Cecil is a Chartered Sport Psychologist and has worked in Olympic and Paralympic sports for over 20 years. She has extensive experience in helping athletes reach their ultimate goals. She was the sport psychologist for the British Athletics team in London 2012. Post-2012 she worked at the Team GB Intensive Rehabilitation Unit and delivered coach education programmes for UK Sport. Sarah was the sport psychologist for Team UK at 4 Invictus Games from London to Sydney. More recently, she was the Team GB Sport Psychologist in Beijing 2022. She has also created an Emotional Decompression tool to support adjustment post major events which have been successfully implemented post the Olympics. Sarah uses the expertise she has to enable athletes to deliver under pressure and to support coaches and performance staff to fulfil their potential.