2. Champions train their mental toughness as they do their physical toughness
When competing locally or internationally, a top sportsperson knows that there will be a brief period of acclimatising to the different environment. During this acclimatisation, they need above all to firstly have full trust in their adapted physical training regime as the vehicle to acclimatise them to peak performance quickest. Secondly, they need to release themselves from personal judgement during the acclimatisation period, as they experience themselves most likely not performing optimally. No self-judgement is the key in this period, as it is also the key to reducing the noise of the little me, mentioned above, whenever we are faced with discomfort inside or outside our minds.
PSYCHOLOGIST
Unlike Sports Champions, many of us are unfamiliar with dealing with large amounts of uncertainty in conjunction with new environments, in conjunction with a lack of resources, in conjunction with intense pressure and stress. This is exactly the context all of us are currently experiencing during Lockdown. As a result, we will need to invest in our mental toughness to increase our composure, confidence, and concentration on our goals as well perhaps redefining and inventing new ones.
A Champion’s Mental Toughness: Seven Steps to Thriving in Uncertainty and Intense Pressure
1. KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE PRIZE
- The prize is your goal/intention for this temporary period in your new place for Lockdown. Set two goals or intentions for yourself during this time; a mental goal and a physical goal. For example “to be composed during every decision I need to make during this time.” or “to remain highly motivated throughout this lockdown period” – as your mental goals. “Improve my speed” or “increase my concentration” – as your physical goal.
- Write down your goals/intentions as if they are being achieved in the present, for example, “I am motivated to complete my routine with energy and joy.”
- Write down some actions that can make completing your training routine with joy. For example, training with music, or rewarding your effort with screen time.
- Every morning revisit the mental and physical intention that you have set and written down. Every night, reflect on the day and check what needs more quality attention for the next day and reward yourself for what you did well, verbally and in actions.
2. A FEW DAYS OF ADJUSTMENT TIME
- Give yourself a few days of adjustment time to figure out how you can create a schedule for yourself with the information, environment, and resources available to you. Even when your schedule is set, you can keep adjusting it to serve your Intentions. Flexibility is very important during this time, as we are all creating a new structure for ourselves as well as with other family members.
3. CREATE A WRITTEN SCHEDULE OF PHYSICAL AND MENTAL TRAINING, PEPPERED WITH RELAXATION AND FUN
- Your training schedule/routine is your accountability chart. However, it is key that you pepper in fun and relaxing time between your daily schedules. Champions include connecting with family and friends as well as reading, listening to music and podcasts in their daily routines. They also include dancing, other recreational sports, social media, Netflix, cooking, playing online games and board games. They are human beings, just like us.
4. EMBRACE THE INNER CONFLICT IN YOUR MIND:
- In uncertain conditions with unfamiliar constraints, negative thoughts and feelings can easily dominate. This too can happen during competitions in intense pressure situations. Gently remind yourself during these times to embrace the negativity that emerges, accept and normalise it. Rewind to the times when you were performing at your peak. Pay attention to how you were feeling? Take note of what tools you were using before and during performance, which enabled composure, confidence and concentration on each moment. Remember the feeling when you slipped into the flow or the zone, and you felt invincible. These memories are a treasure chest of your remarkable potential, and it is time to open it up! Then, pay attention to the intentions or goals you had set for yourself during this time. Your goals/intentions trigger quality attention to what you need to be feeling and acting on at that moment.
5. THE PURPOSE OF ROUTINES AND MENTAL TOOLS:
- Champion athletes, over time, have realised that having a daily routine set for themselves, as well as the act of carrying out both their physical and mental tools for intense pressure performances consistently, evokes a quieter mind. It is these routines that allow the athlete to move into flow/zone states, which facilitate inspiration and automatic, creative problem-solving.
6. THE POWER OF MENTAL PRACTISE:
- One of the most important exercises in sports psychology, as well as reality construction, is the powerful workings of visualisation and your imagination. There are many documented experiments demonstrating that the mind and body do not know the difference between what we see in reality and what we see in our mind’s eye. It is easy to figure this out by experimenting with imagining that you are winning the lottery in your mind and notice how you would feel if you did and what you can do with all that money? Conversely, imagining that you and your family contracted the corona virus and how you would feel and what could happen, etc., etc. The more time you spend visualising either scenario the more your emotions and your body will respond accordingly. Notice; how you could create ecstasy or terror depending on what you indulge in your mind. Albert Einstein said, “Your imagination is the preview of your forthcoming attractions.”
- It is clear from the above that spending time visualising perfect aspects of your performance or whole performances will arouse your motivation and effect positive changes in your body and performance. Be deliberate with what you want to work on and treat your training in your mind as you would, your actual training in reality. Start small with 5 to 10 minutes a day and see how much you can build on that daily or eventually even twice per day. Most importantly have fun playing perfectly in your mind as if you were in the zone/flow state.
- Invest in mental performance training and you will surprise yourself after Lockdown!
7. THE MAGIC INGREDIENTS IN GOAL ACHIEVEMENT
According to the most influential specialists globally in GOAL ACHIEVEMENT, the two most important qualities needed to manifest anything from feeling motivated, to the executing of perfect performance, to winning at anything are INTENTION AND ATTENTION.
- INTENTION is the desire with mind, body, and emotion to achieve a particular goal.
- ATTENTION is focused awareness on any sensory or mental experience or action without judgement, in order to move in an aligned direction toward your goal.
- Champions are very clear about what their intentions are and have them alive in their minds. Clear Intentions (goals) drive your Attention. Whatever you pay Attention to will grow and carry the momentum needed to achieve whatever Intention/goal you have set. Therefore as mentioned in Step One, write down your Intentions/goals for the day, or week or month and revisit them daily, ticking off the actions you set in your schedule, and pay attention to each segment of your schedule with quality.
The simple process of setting your INTENTION and paying ATTENTION without judgment, will work for perfecting a particular type of shot, or movement in your particular sport. Setting your Intentions during this Lockdown and paying Attention without judgement, will certainly also work for living through lockdown with joy and inspiration, and coming out of this time expanded and developed in more than just sport!
In Conclusion
Champion Athletes have learned from their Specialist Support Teams, as well as their own experience of what works over years of thriving under constant change and intense pressure. Build your own internal support team and attempt to integrate this self-created team by utilising the resources you have at your disposal. Attempt to make connections in cyberspace with those who can contribute to your Champion Specialist Team. Make a commitment to grow as a Whole Champion by acknowledging your little me (negativity) and use your routine and mental tools you have used during peak performances when your GREAT ME (positivity) was dominating. Use Lockdown as the impetus to start honing the two essentials of what creates Champions, a Specialist Support Team, and a Mental Toughness Regimen, in spite of and because of the surrounding intense pressurising and stressful conditions.
Take charge of your safety and health, take in all that motivates and strengthens you, spread healing language and vibes to your family and the community you are immersed in. Take ownership of conquering Lady Corona Covid the 19th!
- TOOLS TO SHIFT MOMENTUM: These tools can be used on and off your particular sports arena. Play around with these tools when you are feeling unsettled, anxious, 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: any movement begins a chemical reaction in your body, which quickly shifts your mood. As an athlete, ensue that your physical routine is a balance of endurance, speed and flexibility.. The combination has a balancing effect on your body and mind. 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: Any time your little me emerges, notice what the magic of music can do. Relaxing music with lower your arousal/anaziety levels and upbeat, dance music will elevate your arousal/excitement levels.
- 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