How can mindfulness help athletes overcome anxiety?

If you’re an athlete who has ever experienced the fear, worry, and discomfort of anxiety, then you’ve probably looked for ways to find relief. Whether related to performance or personal life matters, anxiety can take you out of your game almost immediately. In this mindset, you won’t think or act as clearly as your best self. Sometimes, anxiety may come across as nervous pre-game jitters or it can be a symptom of a larger issue[1]. Either way, mindfulness is a mental training practice that can help improve your mental fitness and quality of life.

You may have heard that mindfulness is defined as being focused on the present moment. However, when you feel tough emotions—like those associated with anxiety—being in the present moment can be an uncomfortable place. So how can mindfulness possibly help?

Why is mindfulness a good tool for helping athletes overcome anxiety?

One of the main principles of mindfulness is something known as “right effort” or “correct effort.” When you are anxious, worried, or fearful, you’re in a negative state state-of-mind that can affect your mindset, emotions, and body. In this fight or flight response mode, you’re not focused on opportunity, you’re focused on scarcity. Therefore, you’re not putting forth the right type of effort because you’re not in a growth mindset.

Mindfulness helps train your brain to relax by connecting the dots of being present with your mind, body, and emotions. It allows you to get clear on what you’re feeling so you can observe it for what it is, and then move forward.

This awareness is really helpful if you suffer from anxiety because it can often feel like something that’s out of your control. The problem is that fighting it or focusing on it, can make the problem worse. Mindfulness practices like mindful meditation can help you learn how to work through what you’re feeling.

Overcoming common anxiety blocks with mindfulness:

Here are a few common blocks that happen when you’re experiencing anxiety:

When feeling anxious, it’s common to want that feeling to go away so you may try to resist it. However, when you do that, it only intensifies the feeling of anxiety because you’re fighting it instead of allowing it to come and go.
Sometimes, you might focus on your anxiety and spin around in circles trying to figure out exactly what you’re feeling and why you’re feeling it, but these looping thoughts can keep you stuck.
If you get mad at yourself for having anxiety instead of having self-compassion, you’ll stay in a place of self-loathing rather than enjoying the healing energy of self-acceptance.

One of the problems is that in each of these scenarios, you’ll quickly drain your energy, which can exacerbate and prolong symptoms. Fortunately, a mindfulness practice can help you overcome these problems in the moment, and help you train your brain to deal with future episodes. The key is creating a space between the stimulus (i.e., the stressor) and your response so that you can be aware of what you’re feeling and choose how you react.

“…when you can create space between yourself and what you’re experiencing, your anxiety can soften. But if you get too used to that low rumble of stress always being there, it can gradually grow, creating a stress “habit” that is detrimental to your health and well-being. Consequently, when we get caught up in patterns of reactivity, we create more distress in our lives.”
mindful.org

How to start a mindfulness practice:

Commit to a daily meditation practice each morning. Repetition and consistency are what make this method really work. There are lots of apps and resources available to help guide you. You can also try this mindful meditation for anxiety.
Pause on purpose. The thing about meditation is that it’s not a “set it and forget it” magic mindful pill that lasts forever. Yes, repetition will help you have lasting results in staying calm, controlled, and clear. But sometimes things will happen that will rattle you. In those moments—or even before you get into situations that might amplify anxious feelings–take a moment to pause on purpose. Find a point to focus on with your eyesight and then concentrate on simply inhaling and exhaling. Just be still within yourself. If you feel anxious, don’t fight it. Instead, acknowledge it and let it be. Watch it become less and less with every breath.
Choose a growth mindset. When you catch yourself thinking negatively or worrying, gently remind yourself that those thoughts aren’t serving you well. Use an affirmation that is aligned with your vision. For example, “I am a highly-skilled basketball player who stays calm in stressful moments.” Again, repetition is key to get the full benefits.
Create peaceful energetic environments. Create environments to help you mellow out. Be mindful of the music, shows, video games, social media, news, etc. that you allow into your space. What energy are you absorbing? Even if it’s something that helps you relieve stress, if it has aggressive energy, it might not match up with the peaceful space you need to work through anxiety. Why is this important? Because energy is everything. Positivity attracts positivity so set yourself up for success by creating a loving environment for yourself.
Log your effort. Just like you might track your workouts and nutrition, jot down how you feel before, during, and after your mindful meditation. I also encourage you to write notes about your experiences. For example, were you more in tune with your body on a particular day, or did you notice that you were able to stay calm in an anxious setting?

Keys to the game:

Using mindfulness for anxiety takes effort. Make it a part of your training regimen just as you would anything else that helps your game. The effort can actually help save you energy in the long run.
Mindfulness is not just recognizing what’s going on in a moment, it’s allowing it to be.
Put forth maximum right effort by recognizing negative thoughts, pausing, and then reframing them into thoughts that support growth and opportunity. The key here is to do so from a place of self-compassion. For example, instead of beating yourself up for having the negative thought, encourage yourself to go in a new direction.

Would you like help with learning how to use mindfulness so you can operate as your true self? Contact me about one-on-one VIP coaching. The first session is on me.

[1] If you are experiencing a mental health emergency, The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is a national network of local crisis centers that provides free and confidential emotional support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. 1-800-273-8255.

Misty Buck