A Mental Fix for Nerves
Katy was a gymnast who had spent countless hours, for many years, honing her craft. She was very talented and it showed at every practice. However, she was suddenly getting more and more nervous before actual meets. Her balance beam routine was the most nerve-racking, filling her head with all sorts of thoughts. Because of this, her performance in competitions were getting worse. The good news was, this was all able to be conquered through some specific mental training techniques.
Nerves are something most performers have to deal with at some point. Being nervous or timid in sports is something I see very often.
Many athletes get nervous on a regular basis, others rarely experience it. And, believe it or not, sometimes experience has little to do with it. For instance, I have spoken to many groups over the years, but to this day I still get a little ‘butterflies in the stomach’ feeling before I take the stage. Laugh all you want, but I’m here to tell you that being nervous is not an uncommon thing. The secret is realizing what it is and how to deal with it. Today, I’m going to share with you a great technique for dealing with nerves before a game, competition, meet, or performance. It is called the “AND” technique. What does that mean?
I Can Be Nervous AND STILL Perform in My Sport
It means you have freedom. Freedom to say, “I am nervous”. Or, “I am scared”.
It means accepting the emotions and chemicals that you are feeling, AND still performing your best.
Keep in mind that those ‘nerves’ you are feeling, are nothing more than chemicals in your body. Something triggers your mind, when then releases chemicals, and those chemicals attach to cells to cause a physical reaction.
That’s why you feel shaky, or muscles tightening, or the “butterflies in the stomach”. Chemicals. That’s it!
So, one way to deal with them, is to say “Wow! I’m feeling some chemicals AND I’m going to go out there and rock this!”
It is being aware of the feelings, and simply embracing them, while you recognize that you can still be great, in spite of those feelings. Think of it as channeling your energy, like a mental sort of Kung Fu. Energy like that can be huge fuel for focus and hitting your peak performance. Where the usual thought process went like this: “I am so nervous, I hope I don’t mess up! Why does this always happen to me? I have got to calm down”
Instead, you now say: “I feel nervous right now AND I’m going to be focused, and play the best game ever. I’ve got this!”
The great thing is, this is an easy and fun technique to practice. It can work in daily life, and it works with any emotion you are feeling. The point it all boils down to is that it is ok to feel those emotions AND still be your best! They don’t have to hold you back!
Gregg Pruett – The Mental Toughness Trainer