Mental Toughness Series for Handling Lockdown and Beyond –Inspired by Sports Champions
Article One
“The bad news is nothing lasts forever. The good news is nothing lasts forever.”
J. Cole
Lockdown is a radical experience for most of us. For someone, who is not usually anxious or fearful, I began to realise what a profound effect Covid-19 was beginning to have on my state of mind. The stream of information, from symptoms to prevention to death rates and everything in between, began to have an impact on my anxiety levels. Imagine what this constant stream of disease information is doing to our psyches, our anxiety levels, and therefore influencing the possibility of achieving our dreams and goals.
I noticed the effect that ruminating on the negatives was doing to my energy levels, and the clarity of my purpose as a psychologist serving my patients, clients, as well as my relationships. I had to become more aware of the information I was taking in and what I was doing, which was bringing out the parts of me that are anxious, afraid, doubting, and demotivated. We all have these parts of us, champions in sport are included here, Covid 19 and Lockdown can play a role in bringing out these negative feeling emotions and it is so important to be able to identify them. We can only figure out how to deal with uncomfortable feelings when we can acknowledge them.. At The Champion Academy (make a hyperlink to the website here), we use the term our little me part of self, to represent these negative but very crucial feelings, which can play an impactful role in success. My little me was beginning to dominate and I therefore needed to re-evaluate this period and make some important decisions in order to come back to my larger, greater part of self, which I refer to as my GREAT ME.
In my work with top athletes, I often speak of a GREAT ME and a “little me”, both are normal and important parts of self. For over 20 years, I have been studying “Whole Champions”, Legends in sport who are fulfilled in many aspects of life. It is especially these Champions who understand both their little me and GREAT ME very well. When it comes to peak performance the “little me” is our part which feels negative feelings under intense pressure and uncertainty. It may provide the right amount of anxiety to raise our arousal levels to psyche us up, but when our little me dominates, it can be destructive to our mindset before and during performance. Athletes who handle pressure well, become aware of their little me feelings before it is too late. By acknowledging these uncomfortable feelings over time, they have learned mental and physical tools on how to release or deal with their frustration and negative emotion.. Some examples of these tools include breathing, mediation, music, specific movements depending on the sport, affirming statements, images in the mind’s eye, all of which are designed to bring about composure, concentration, and confidence Many legends also access their memory treasure chest to reignite their mental toughness, by rewinding their mind to when, their GREAT ME handled and harnessed the pressure leading to rewarding outcomes. These are just some practiced mental tools (sensory processes of thought and action) and routines, which serve to shift a Champion’s “little me” to their GREAT ME.
As I mentioned earlier, as Covid 19 and its potential impact on so many became more real, I was experiencing a myriad of negative feelings – my little me. I accepted this wave of despondency and discouragement as a normal response to this period. I gave myself some space and time to adapt to the new normal. I then decided to view this crisis as a time of recalibration for myself, for others and may be even the earth. It could be an opportunity to utilise the mental and physical tools I know so far as well refine some more. I chose to view the journey into lockdown, as a time to be curious and trusting of how my GREAT ME was going to harness the uncertainty, and enjoy the challenge.
## Steps to shifting from little me (negative-self) to GREAT ME (positive-self)
- ACKNOWLEDGE: The acknowledgment of both parts of ourselves, the negative and the positive, and how well we know both parts are critical to not only our success, but also our happiness. Negative feelings (little me) are our built in alarms signaling that something needs exploration and handling. Imagine your alarm going off in your house, and you leave it ring without investigating and dealing with what may be going wrong? By accepting they these negative feelings as normal and important, we give them negative feelings the space to be handled. Whole Champions accept negative feelings as a normal part of self that they have learned to deal with through a variety of mental tools. By acknowledging these as valid first opens the door to a journey of self-knowledge, which facilitate greater control over our negative feelings.
- AWARENESS: I became more aware of negative and positive thoughts, feelings and actions, and took note of those that made me feel empowered, and those that did not. In the first two weeks I reflected on the day and jotted down in my diary/phone the information, activities, and responsibilities in our home that brought out composure, confidence, purpose, and fun. Writing provided me with a clearer awareness of my options.
- CHOICE: I decided that information about Covid 19 and its potential impact on my family, my friends and the world in general was important for me to know, however, I decided to only read and listen to sources, which were factual and emphasized prevention and healing. I reduced the quantity of information I absorbed on the topic and spoke of it much less, unless it served a purpose for planning and opportunities in this lockdown situation or for the future (GREAT ME language).
- INTENTION: It was time to choose what I wanted out of this period. A good time to set new intentions (goals). By taking action, I new my GREAT ME (positive-self) was taking charge again, leaving little me (negative part) to drift to the back of my mind. I wrote down some new responsibilities and routines for myself and the family, which brought out more clarity and creativity. A flexible routine that could be continuously fine-tuned for everyone, which served our purpose for progress, connection, and enjoyment. During Covid 19 and beyond was the order of the day.
- ATTENTION: I placed my focus on open-ended growth questions for example, “What can we learn from this time?” “What can be different and enjoyable about this time?” “How can we grow from such an experience?” “Can I develop different mental and physical skills that will serve my dreams and goals?” when negative feelings little me cam to the fore, they were acknowledged and supported by my new found exploration of what mental tools and activities can be utilized during this time. My attention was on the lookout for what can fill the day, which is in line with that growth
- ACTIONS: Writing a “To Do List.” and making a weekly schedule for training is a well-documented fact that keeps everyone on track. Champion athletes have training and competition schedules even a year in advance. The week is more scheduled in a diary or phone calendar for myself and others with meditation, responsibilities like and work and school, exercise, training, online communication. There is time set aside each day for conversation with family or friends. Weekends are more relaxed and spontaneous, with less responsibility and training, more fun activity and rest. Keeping a similar schedule to the way you lived and trained before as much as possible is key.
- LITTLE ME: It would be irrational to expect every day to go with the sense of normality that it did before Covid 19. Negative feelings are bound to emerge some time, whilst living constrained amidst a global crisis that will have an impact on us all. Acknowledging your personal struggles is key first in order for you to find supportive emotional, physical, or creative releases. For me giving myself the space to breathe deeply anywhere, meditate, visualization and imagine past and future positive scenarios, getting outside with sunshine and greenery, exercise, and doing something I have never done before seems to soothe my little me from getting the better of me.
- RESET: After my mental or physical tool I gently remind myself of the intentions I set for myself during this temporary period, I emphasise that despite the uncertainty of this time, everything passes with time. I reset my attention, moment by moment on my plans and actions I had figured out previously, or even perhaps new ones, which had made me feel positive. I acknowledge how much better I feel, back on track to living this time with purpose, connection, ease, and fun. The bigger part of me in every way is back – GREAT ME
Covid 19, lockdown and beyond is a surreal situation that can evoke negativity and can serve to demoralize our dreams and goals. Or Covid 19, lockdown and beyond can, with the assistance of the steps above, be experienced as a journey of self-understanding and growth. The steps of shifting from your little me (negative-self) to your GREAT ME (positive-self) can allow for this time to be viewed as a challenge, an opportunity to dig deep into the self, and continue your striving for greatness in whatever form that is relevant to you.