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Mindset tips from the Olympics
Let’s honor the 16 days we spent in awe of the world’s greatest athletes by taking a page from their playbook. Here are 8 Olympian-approved ways to fortify your mental game and elevate your performance - in whatever arena you perform.
Using yoga philosophy to train mental performance
Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras create a guiding tapestry for leading a meaningful, and ultimately enlightened, life. They can be used by anyone who is truly seeking higher levels of performance, whether in sport, work, or life, and is wanting to master their mind and explore the realm beyond it.
Use your mental energy wisely
Mental energy refers to our capacity to perform cognitive functions, such as concentrating, problem-solving, directing our attention appropriately, and deciding what to have for dinner (is this a daily challenge in anyone else’s house?). When it’s depleted, we may experience decision fatigue, have a hard time focusing, or feel overstimulated. As is the case with our physical energy, our mental energy reserves increase and decrease throughout the day. The key is to refuel when the tank is ¼ full instead of waiting until you hit empty.
Releasing self-judgment to perform better
How do we create a more harmonious relationship between Self 1 and Self 2? The first step is to practice non-judgment, particularly as directed to yourself. A judgmental thought is one that attaches a valence, such as positive or negative, to an event. The act of committing this thought takes away from the experience itself. It prevents us from experiencing the event as it is. How does that relate to Self 1 and Self 2? Well, a single judgmental thought can open Pandora's box. It’s the gateway for an entire sequence of thoughts, which quickly pulls us out of the present moment and our chance of pure, uninhibited performance. Let’s break down what happens when a judgmental thought enters your mind.
Introducing Self 1 and Self 2
In an effort to drop into peak performance more frequently, it’s helpful to have a broad understanding of what’s going on in the mind when we’re not in flow.
In his book, The Inner Game of Tennis, Timothy Gallwey introduces the reader to Self 1 and Self 2. Self 1 can be thought of as the ego-mind. It’s always thinking, always commenting, and incredibly judgmental. Self 2 is the body. It includes the unconscious mind and the nervous system. Self 1 is the “teller” and Self 2 is the “doer”. But, Self 2 is not subservient. It is actually very wise; it just doesn’t have a chance to do its thing because, well, Self 1 nags . . . a lot.
How mantras promote a quiet mind
The use of affirmations or mantras is universal, spanning across cultures and implemented across all sectors of society. Athletes often use them to hone their focus, increase their confidence, or dial-up their intensity. Diana Nyad relied on the mantra “find a way” during her record-breaking 112-mile swim from Florida to Cuba. After 4 unsuccessful attempts spanning over 30 years, she decided to implement this mantra while training for her final attempt. Of course, it wasn’t those 3 words alone that brought her feet to the sandy shore, but they certainly propelled her through the brutal challenges she encountered at sea.
Change begins with awareness
Change requires awareness. You have approximately 70-80,000 thoughts a day, but how many of those thoughts are you actually aware of? How many of those thoughts have intention behind them? How many of those thoughts are repetitive (answer: most of them)? Awareness takes a lot of work, but you are fully capable of cultivating it. It just takes practice.
Finding center with mental anchors
We’ve all been caught up in life’s chaos (heck, this probably happens on the daily), so we intimately know how this feels. Our mind is scattered, all of our mental tabs are open, and we’re buzzing at an unsustainable speed. Although we may feel like we’re spinning out of control, we actually have quite a bit of agency over each moment. Instead of continuously getting carried away by the current of life and all its demands, we have ample opportunity to come back to center - that place of permanent inner stillness that allows us to reconnect to our purpose, clarify our path, and execute efficient and effective action steps. Mental anchors are short practices that quiet the mind, help us regain control, and allow us to focus on what’s important now.
Mental agility: A key ingredient for mental toughness
Change is tough. When you have a concrete plan, or even a rough idea of how something should unfold, you may perceive obstacles as a threat - and buckle under the pressure.
One characteristic of a mentally tough person is their ability to recognize challenges as neutral, make the necessary adjustments in a timely manner, and get back in the game. Instead of letting the stress consume them, they demonstrate resilience - leaning in to the change, making shifts, and moving on.
So, how do you do that?
The negative effects of negative thinking
We all have a voice inside of us - and sometimes that voice is incessant. Unfortunately, it can be quite negative at times too, and negative thinking is detrimental. Let’s explore why.