Mental Toughness Series for Handling Lockdown and Beyond –Inspired by Sports Champions
Article Two: Fortifying your heart and mind with your Mental Toolbox
For many Sportspeople Lockdown fatigue is beginning to hit. I work with the most dedicated and committed national and international sportspeople, and they are even beginning to struggle. Some are starting to feel as if this new reality will last for ever! Others are worried that their level of performance will deteriorate, some are just desperate to train as they did before.
The good news is that sport is not only something we love, but it is also a massive gobal industry, which will return to normality, just like every other industry.
From years of getting inside the minds of legends in sport, I have formulated a step by step model of how to move from a negative mindset to a positive one, especially during this time. Try applying each step to your situation. In the model, I refer to your struggle or negative part of self as your little me, and your strengths or positive part of self as your GREAT ME.
## Steps to shifting from little me (negative-self) to GREAT ME (positive-self)
- ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR STRUGGLE: Whole Champions know themselves well, both the negative and the positive. This self-knowledge is not only important for your success, but also your happiness. Negative feelings (little me) are our built in alarms signaling that something needs 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 understanding that these negative feelings as normal and important, we can figure out what soothes them or what cuts them out! During a crisis situation your little me will emerge. This is your chance to learn how best to deal with these uncomfortable feelings.
- TAKE NOTE OF WHAT MAKES YOU FEEL GOOD: By being aware of both negative and positive thoughts and feelings, and the actions that follow them, Champions have become aware of what serves their mental fortitude and their happiness. Making mental notes or jotting down your thoughts and feelings and what you did about them, shows you what works. Often, just an noticing the negative thought/feelings are emerging, is enough to redirect your attention on whatever makes you feel better in that moment!.
- SET INTENTIONS, NOT EXPECTATONS: This kind of radical crisis is not the time to set stringent goals for yourself. The key is to set intentions for what you want to get out of this time. When interviewed before big events, Champions often speak of intending to enjoy every moment of their performance or seeing how far they can stretch themselves. Let’s think about what is there to enjoy about his time? And how can we learn new skills, stay fit and get mentally stronger in spite of the tough conditions? It is a better time than ever to get those creative juices flowing and do things you always wanted to do. For eg. Nadal has shared that he has been enjoying a family holiday and mastering play station during Lockdown, whereas Federer has kept up playing on the wall and his fitness, with plenty of family time. Decide to set some new intentions (goals), whether it was as small as doing one training activity each day or as large as creating a new routine for yourself. By setting new intentions weekly or daily, your GREAT ME, positive part begins to take ownership of a time that we all have not yet experienced.
- USE YOUR IMAGINATION: “Your imagination is the preview of your life’s forthcoming attractions”, said Albert Einstein, one of the world’s most renowned Scientists. Not only can our imagination influence our future, but countless research experiments demonstrate the value of training any one’s sport in your mind’s eye and getting results when returning to your sport in reality. Documented research shows that training a specific skill in your mind for e.g. scoring goals or serving aces can be as valuable, if not more valuable as doing it in reality. Take some risk as your GREAT ME does and have fun imagining perfect performance or achieving your greatest goal.
- WRITE A FLEXIBLE ROUTINE: Writing a “To Do List” and a flexible weekly routine for training and relaxation time is a well-researched fact that can keep you on the track you intended for yourself. Plan a balanced routine weekly routine with school, work, physical training, mental training, relaxation and fun time. Connecting with family and friends is essential, as it can give you the extra support you need to do your training. Weekends are more relaxed and spontaneous, with less responsibility and less training, more fun activities and rest. Your GREAT ME, loves a challenge! Make each week a little more challenging with a weekly reward for yourself at the end!
- NEGATIVE THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS ARE BOUND TO EMERGE: We are affected in some way by this surreal time in our lives. As you follow these steps notice when your little me rears his/her head. Remind yourself that acknowledging your struggles (your little me) is the key to figuring out supportive tools to release or shift these feelings. This is not the time to beat yourself up. Being kind and honest with yourself on tough days, will make it easier for you shift.
- TOOLS FOR A QUICK SHIFT: These can be used on and off your particular sports arena. Play around with these tools when you feeling unsettled, worried, and even demotivated (little me):
- Breathe: Every GREAT Champion breathes during some part of their performance. Breathing deeply with long outbreaths calms your nervous system. It also gives you the space to get some perspective. The key to breathing is taking a sometime to do it until you notice your mind and body calm.
- Move: Sportspeople are used to a high level of activity. If you begin to feel discouraged, attempt to do some physical exercise in that moment. Also check if you are balancing your physical routine with endurance, speed and stretching. The combination has a balancing effect on your body. Do as much as you can outside in the fresh air.
- Fun: What can you do now or add to your routine that makes this time fun. It can be a challenge with your peers to spice up your motivation in your sport, or it can be a new hobby that you never had time for before.
- Music
- Meditate: This is the ultimate exercise for calming and cleaning your mind of negativity or your little me. Even if you are not a season meditator, sportspeople can meditate better than most as they are practiced on focusing on their performance routines. Choose one aspect of your sport, for example the ball, one stroke, one movement, or even one sound and try focusing on it for 5mins with your eyes open or closed depending on what you focused on.
- GREAT ME: After my mental or physical tool I gently remind myself of the intentions I set for myself during this temporary period, I emphasize 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
Have fun playing around with which steps work for you as you experience this time 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 assist you in viewing this time as a challenge, an opportunity to dig deep into the self, and continue your striving for greatness in whatever is important for you!
## 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.