Stress


An athlete's source of negative stress is often a result of focusing or thinking about the wrong things. When we focus on things that are outside of our control, or focus on things we don't have, we create unwanted tension in our mind and body; this is not good for optimum performance. For example, many athletes focus solely on results and outcomes, and base their success on their results. Although at the end of the day, this is largely how sport performance is measured, focusing too much energy on results can cause a great deal of debilitative stress.

When an athlete focuses on the things they cannot control, this can cause a great deal of debilitating stress. The idea, therefore, is to focus the majority of your energy and time on the things that are 100% within your control. By doing so, the results and outcomes tend to take care of themselves, because if you do the little things right, they add up to successful performance. So, practice focusing on the things that you can control and avoid spending too much time worrying about the things that you cannot control.

Below are two lists: (1) things that are typically outside an athlete's control, and (2) things that are typically within an athlete's control. Take a look at the content of each list. What do you typically spend most of your time focusing on?

Outside of Your Control (avoid focusing on or worrying about these):

  • Referee
  • Weather
  • What others think, say or do
  • Selections and coach decisions
  • Scoreboard
  • A previous injury
  • A mistake that happened
  • What You Can Control (where you want to focus your attention):

  • Your attitude
  • Your effort and work rate
  • Your thoughts and actions
  • Your strengths and skills
  • What makes you successful as an athlete
  • Your dedication and commitment
  • Your nutrition and recovery
  • The time you spend training your mental, physical, technical, and tactical game
  • How long you choose to pursue your dreams
  • If you spend the majority of your time worrying or focusing on things that are outside of your control, then you likely have lots of debilitating stress. When you change your focus to the things you can control, your performance becomes more purposeful and dedicated, and in turn the outcome typically takes care of itself.

    Creating a new mental habit takes focused attention and practice. Choose your thoughts, words and actions to be performance enhancing!