Get Out of Your Head!

Can you think of a time where you couldn’t get out of your own head?

Maybe you were practicing something new and kept making mistake after mistake.

Maybe you were competing with your team and you found yourself comparing your skill to your teammates.

Maybe you were hanging on to a conversation or something said that didn’t sit well with you.

If you can think of a time where you struggled to create space between you and your thoughts, you are not alone!

This happens to all performers and athletes at one point or another during their career.

But those willing to work on techniques to recognize this and get out of their own way quicker are the ones who can truly perform freely, in flow, and in each moment.

In order to get out of your own tornado of thoughts, you need to practice strategies and nurture habits outside of your performance arena.

👉🏼It is a skill to get back to the present during moment of impact in your field of play.

👉🏼It is a skill to be aware and recognize when intrusive thoughts have flooded your mind.

👉🏼It’s a skill to create space between yourself and your thoughts/feelings/emotions.

And good news for you, all of these skills are trainable.

🎯If you want to be better about getting back to the present moment, be committed to establish a meditation or journaling practice.

🎯If you want to be better about being aware of your intrusive thoughts, be committed to listen to the conversation in your head and develop a mantra or phrase to reverse the direction of your intrusive thoughts (“Not everything thought I have is true.”)

🎯If you want to be better about creating space between you and your thoughts, be committed to name and identify the thoughts that are blocking you (fear of failure, perfectionism, letting others down).

It is possible to let go of the things holding you back to play freely, in the present moment, find your flow, and trust your training.

But just like any physical skills, it requires reps and practice to get better at training your thought patterns and mindset in these situations.

Disclaimer - the moment you get into your head in the middle of competition is NOT the time to work on your skill to get out of your head. Those reps need to be practiced before you find yourself in that moment. Creating a consistent training regiment to put in mental reps and practice is recommended!

If you want to be better at focusing on the task at hand, being present and grounded, recognizing your breath and being aware of your thoughts - be committed to practice these skills!

You have another level within you - are willing to put in the work to reach your true potential?