It is a pressure packed time in the game and you begin to notice your nerves taking over. You are having a hard time focusing on the game because you are more preoccupied with the concern of making a mistake and losing instead of staying present and in the moment. Your body is building tension and it is becoming difficult to execute the skill as gracefully as you know how. This lack of focus and muscle tension makes you hesitate in your actions, also increasing the potential for injury- every athlete’s fear. So how do we battle this? Through the power of mindfulness. Practicing mindfulness outside of the game, incorporating it in your pre-performance routine, or even using it as a way to reflect on your performance after the game are some of the many ways you can incorporate mindfulness into your sport.
Practicing mindfulness puts the focus on not what you are doing but how you are doing it. It is a way to have an experience with acceptance and non-judgment. By practicing mindfulness, we are creating space for our emotions instead of avoiding or suppressing them, learning to bring them with us with every endeavor. We can learn to change our perspective of the emotions by not labeling them as "good or bad" but by viewing the emotion as telling us information that is important to us.
A classic way is through deep breathing. As we direct our attention to our breath, we are not giving our unwanted thoughts as much power. We remind ourselves that we are inhaling and might visualize what that inhale looks like in our body, and then exhaling, focusing on how our body is feeling. It is important to try to incorporate all the senses with mindfulness. Focusing on how your body is feeling, the clothes on your skin, the smell in the air, the temperature you feel. We are not trying to completely clear our mind with mindfulness, just simply redirecting it. Redirecting it to the present moment and what is important right in front of us. If we notice an unwanted thought, we acknowledge it as a reminder to redirect our focus to our breath, to our senses.
Other great ways to practice mindfulness daily is by incorporating your five senses in that first sip of coffee in the morning, focus on the temperature, how does it feel, what does it look like how does it taste, keeping yourself present in the here and now. Or by appreciating the sun hitting your face, where do you feel the warmth, can you smell the nature, do you hear the trees. Maybe we are examining a beautiful flower, what colors to you see, texture do you feel, is there a smell? We can even practice mindfulness by brushing our teeth! The ways to practice mindfulness daily are endless.
By practicing mindfulness with simple activities such as these while deep breathing, we are producing a full mind-body experience, staying present in the moment with acceptance and in a nonjudgmental way- its simply what we are experiencing is what we are experiencing. It is strengthening our holistic connection as we may begin to pay attention to where in our body is tense so we focus on releasing tension. Seeing our emotions for what they are, as information telling us something, we are creating space for them, not avoiding or suppressing them. We may feel a sense of clarity and confidence in our mind and thoughts after taking a step-back to focus on the present moment. We realize that we have control in the current moment, in our choices, and direct our energy towards that.
So how can practicing mindfulness make you a better athlete?We begin to be more in tuned with our body, noticing our tense spots and work towards finding ways to release that tension. Any athlete understands the point of stretching before a game or practice-it's to get loose and warm those muscles. Mentally, by focusing on the here and now, we hope to minimize those previous “what if” thoughts, what if I shank this shot, what if I get injured again, what if I create a turnover. Mistakes are inevitable in sports and practicing mindfulness can help us accept that and overcome that.
Maybe you are in the final minutes of a big game and notice the nerves creeping in and you feel the muscle tension. You remember the benefits of your mindfulness practice and focus a couple of seconds to your breathing, re-centering your actions, being present in this moment. Your mind is now calmer,and the body is less tense. You remember the importance of redirecting your focus away from non-beneficial thoughts, as you redirect your focus to the play happening right in front of you. You have a stronger connection with your body, creating an increased confidence to trust yourself and your skill in executing the play.
Practicing mindfulness could help you reach your optimal performance level. After all, sports are arguably 20% physical and 80% mental, so let's strengthen that brain!
By: Christina Mondragón Schrader, LCPC, CMPC
To Learn More:
Call: 331-457-2020
Email: sports@growwellnessgroup.com
Website: growwellnessgroup.com
