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Competitive Edge
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Written by Anna Mitchell
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I recently received a great email from a reader who struggles with anxiety before and during a performance. With her permission, I want to talk about this particular case because I have the suspicion that she is not alone in her distress. Most of us (if not all of us) experience at least some level of anxiety when it comes to performing. For some, however, the experience of anxiety itself becomes a source of anxiety. For these people (and there are more than a few) just the thought of becoming anxious activates the stress response which can escalate to a full blown panic attack.
We humans have a tendency to want to "fix" or "eliminate" things that we do not like. This works great in the physical world and has done wonders for the advancement of mankind. However, this approach does not work so well with our internal thoughts and feelings.
We usually try to apply the same principle to uncomfortable or painful thoughts and feelings by trying strategies such as:
· Distraction – Trying to stay busy, listening to music, talking to others etc
· Opting out – Quitting, avoiding, procrastinating, or withdrawing from people. places, and or situations that make us feel uncomfortable.
· Thinking – Denial, analyze, minimize, blaming.
· Substance use – trying to numb the discomfort or cover up uncomfortable feelings with drugs or alcohol.
These strategies often work well in the short term but tend to cause even more problems in the long run.
As we learn and develop from a baby to an adult, we adopt certain messages from those around us. Often these messages tells us that feeling and expressing negative emotions is not OK. Do you remember being told that "big boys don't cry"? Another common message is that it is not OK to feel angry. A more appropriate message may be that it is OK to feel angry, but it is not OK to lash out at others when you feel angry.
Consequently, when we experience negative thoughts and feelings (such as anxiety), we try to fix or get rid of those feelings, which immediately draws our full attention to those feelings. Our attempts to stop feeling anxious ends up making us feel more anxious.
Reversing this effect is a learning process and one that you may need help from a qualified therapist to help walk you though. It starts with an acceptance of those thoughts and feelings. Remember that anxiety before an important performance is "normal," so rather than fighting that feeling, learn to accept that as part of the performance process. Learn to be OK with all kinds of thoughts and feelings, both positive and negative. Let them come and go without struggling to control them and get back to preparing for a great performance.
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Written by Anna Mitchell
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Why is it so much easier for athletes to perform in practice than it is in competition? OK, that's a no-brainer. There is more pressure to perform well in competition than in practice, but where does that pressure come from? Is it all just about the win or lose outcome?
Not at all. A combination of factors join forces to make competitions significantly more meaningful and emotionally charged than practice situations. It's easy to get caught up in the hype of a competition because there is so much going on internally and externally.
Internally, we fight our own battles of insecurities, hopes and expectations. We worry about embarrassing ourselves, we worry about letting others down, and we worry about forgetting how to perform.
Externally, our senses are bombarded with an onslaught of stimuli from loud crowds, traffic, chaos, and unfamiliar sights and smells. Our brains try to make sense of this flood of stimuli and it makes us feel "charged." In turn we interpret this feeling as either excitement or nervousness, depending on our cognitive coping skills. If left unchecked, this emotional charge can have a significant impact on the way we perform.
Our emotional discomfort is caused by the difference between our practice environment and our competition environment. We often perform well in practice because this is our comfort zone. Here we can perform with minimal pressure, enabling us to effectively focus on the task at hand.
So, to reduce the gap we can either try to make our competition environment similar to our practice environment by using tools such as the pre-performance routine I covered a couple of weeks ago or we can try to make out practice environment more like our competition environment.
This is where simulation becomes an invaluable tool to help combat anxiety by creating that "been there, done that" feeling I've mentioned in previous articles. Olympic teams often send "scouts" to the upcoming Olympic venues to take photos of the facilities and record as much detail about the environment as possible. They use this information to simulate an accurate competition environment in practice so by the time the athletes get to the games they feel at home in their surroundings. Similarly, elite coaches often play recorded crowds and background noise to help the athletes learn how to block out distractions at competitions.
We can't always recreate the actual environment but even small commonalities can go a long way to helping you feel more comfortable. For example, use the same equipment in practice that you do in competition. Don't keep that shiny new saddle just for shows because it's going to feel really alien and awkward adding to your anxious discomfort. Practice in your chaps if it helps to get used to the feeling of them around your legs. That's one less distraction for you when you walk in to the show pen.
Imagine the possibilities. Walking into Will Rogers arena is intimidating to most of us, but what if the pen you practiced in every day looked exactly the same. How much less intimidating would that feel? Too bad we didn't win that mega lottery!
How can you simulate your competition environment at home? What are some of your ideas to reduce that gap?
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Written by Anna Mitchell
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Your potential reaches only as far as you dare to believe. This is an opportunity to stretch your imagination as you consider the question, "What if anything were possible?" We are often tempted, when setting goals, to start from where we stand today. This seems like a logical place to start as we step forward in the name of progress. The problem is that we tend to limit ourselves based on our current level of self-confidence and awareness. Consequently, we determine the boundaries of our own potential by how much we believe in ourselves.
People who have had limited experience with success tend to set much lower goals regardless of their actual abilities or means. When our self-efficacy is low, it can be difficult to imagine the possibilities because we become focused on the obstacles and the details that seem to block our path. Therapists often use a "magical" perspective to help unlock a client's potential. They will encourage the client to explore the realm of their possibilities by considering what they would like if anything was possible and nothing stood in their way. They may ask something like, "Imagine if you could snap your fingers and have the perfect life; what would it look like?" The idea is to build a picture of your "ultimate goal." At this stage, it is irrelevant whether this goal is realistic or appropriate. We are simply gathering information to give us a direction to begin.
This exercise is a brain game to loosen up your mind. Many of us never reach our full potential because we are confined by self-imposed limitations. When we get a flicker of inspiration, we tend to quickly squash it with thoughts like; I could never do that, I couldn't ever be that good, that will never be me up there. In an attempt to protect ourselves from disappointment, we defeat ourselves before we even begin. Interestingly, even when we do make it, most of us feel that we do not really deserve it and somebody is going to notice any minute and take it away.
With this concept in mind, when I am working with a client to help them identify some goals, I like to start at the extreme end and work backward. Take a moment to clear your mind. This exercise requires that you release yourself from the burdens of reality. Close your eyes and just think for a couple of minutes what it would feel like if anything were possible. Imagine that you have no constraints like money, illness, time, energy and skill. Imagine that you are magic and can just wave your wand to get what you want no matter what it is.
Build that picture into an experience by tapping into your other senses. Think about where you are when you achieve that ultimate goal. What is going on around you, who is there? What can you hear, see, smell, and feel? Stay with that experience for a few moments and really feel what it would be like to achieve that goal. Slowly open your eyes, keeping that experience vivid, and write it down in your training journal. Try to use as much detail as possible to really capture the essence of that experience.
Remember that this is your "perfect" world, so don't be discouraged by the improbability. This exercise is designed to unlock your potential and to give you direction. I use this exercise with clients who are struggling to set goals. We "design" a perfect scenario or outcome, then compare it to the client's current status. Slowly a bridge is built from here to there by using realistic, attainable goals as stepping stones. This keeps you moving in the right direction and helps break through that glass ceiling that your self-confidence has been holding over your head all this time.
What are your "ultimate" goals?
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Written by Anna Mitchell
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If you have been following my articles, then you will know that I place a lot of emphasis on flexibility for peak performance. I have stressed the importance of being able to adapt to changing circumstances and “roll with the punches” during a performance because rarely does everything go according to plan. So how does a pre-performance routine fit into this approach? Is that not an oxymoron?
Not necessarily. I often encourage athletes to establish a pre-performance routine for a number of reasons:
· Consistency - Doing the same thing over and over again helps improve our consistency in performance. This makes it easier for us to identify problem areas and make changes as needed. If we constantly change the way we prepare for a performance, it is difficult to pinpoint what is helping and what is hindering the outcome.
· Comfort through familiarity. Sticking to a pre-performance routine can be a great way to help combat those pre-performance jitters. We tend to feel most anxious when confronted by unfamiliar and/or unpredictable environments. Sticking to a familiar routine helps promote that "been there, done that" feeling, helping us feel less threatened by our circumstances.
· Bridging the gap between the practice pen and the show pen. This is related to the point I made above about familiarity. Many of us give our best performances in the practice pen away from the stress and pressure of competition. We tend to feel less anxious before and during a practice session than we do before a competition so to help control our nerves we need to "re-create" that practice feeling. Following the same preparation steps before practices and competitions will help bridge that gap.
· Memory safety plan. When we get nervous we also tend to get forgetful. Have you ever turned up to an important event and realized you had forgotten to bring the right bridle or boots? Having a pre-performance routine forces us to work through our preparation one step at a time reducing the risk of forgetfulness. So there are a number of reasons that a pre-performance routine can be a valuable tool when used effectively to help you achieve your peak performance.
However … beware of setting your preparation steps and rituals in stone. People who place too much emphasis on sticking to a routine risk losing their ability to "roll with the punches." Before establishing your preparation routine, carefully distinguish between what you can and cannot control. Do not include steps in your routine of which you have little control. Map out the steps you will take to help you get physically and mentally ready to compete. Write them down to remind yourself when needed. Become very familiar with these steps by working through them before numerous practices. Do not attempt for the first time before an important event because the steps only become routine with repetition.
Review previous events to identify what worked and what didn't. Think about what you did before a successful event so you can do it again. Use the routine as a guide but be prepared to be flexible when needed. For example, you may want to include "have breakfast" rather than "have waffles for breakfast" because sometimes you may not be able to get waffles and that may just be enough to throw you off balance.
A little superstition is fine, but too much can distract you from your job. I worked with an athlete a while ago who felt that he absolutely had to follow a red car to the competition or he would not do well. He spent a lot of wasted time looking for red cars. Naturally, there were many occasions when he was unable to meet this need and the red car syndrome became a self fulfilling prophecy because he turned up to the event already defeated.
So go ahead and wear your lucky underpants. Draw comfort from the familiar but stay flexible because the only thing predictable about life is that it is unpredictable. What gives you comfort as you head to the show pen? Share your quirky little superstitions and odd routines. I know you have some.
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Written by Anna Mitchell
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There is no way around it. If you want to get better at anything, you have to spend more time on practice and preparation. The problem is that many of us non-pro and amateur competitors are struggling to get better in this sport while juggling work, community and family responsibilities that compete for our time in the practice pen. When our sport is not our livelihood, then by necessity, it has to take a back seat when higher priorities demand our attention.
It is frustrating and discouraging, but does it mean that we will never reach our potential? Not necessarily, but we may need to get a little more creative with our time.
Time management is a critical skill to learn in this fast-paced world of ours. Here are some tips to help you become more effective with your time so you can squeeze in some extra practice without adding stress:
· 1) Prioritize. Work out which things need to be absolutely done today and which have a little wiggle room. Prioritize in terms of time urgency and level of importance. Remember that urgent does not automatically mean important. I will explain more about this in my article next month.
· 2) Set goals. Goals help us keep track of what we are trying to achieve and let us know when we have made progress.
· 3) Write it down. Don't underestimate "To Do Lists." Write down your list of priorities and goals then check them off as you go to keep you on track.
· 4) Fight Procrastination. Learn to distinguish between planning and procrastinating. Fight the urge to put off unpleasant or tedious tasks, focus on the satisfaction of checking it off your list.
· 5) Manage Distractions. Plan ahead. Think about your environment and remove unnecessary distractions. Communicate with others and enlist their help to filter unnecessary distractions. Learn how to politely tell someone they are interrupting and you will get to them when you have finished the task you are working on. Try turning your phone and facebook off and you may be amazed at how much more you are able to accomplish. Set a time aside to check emails, return phone calls, and social chat. These are important but they can also make your time extremely unproductive if not managed effectively.
· 6) Avoid Multitasking. This is controversial. Some people swear they thrive on being busy, and some people do seem able to juggle a thousand things at once. For most of us, however, multitasking makes us less effective and less productive because we never really focus entirely on one specific task. So although we may be getting it done, we may not be doing it as well as we could. Learning to manage distractions and setting goals will help you focus on one task at a time, making you more productive and reducing the risk of errors. Errors cost valuable time while you undo or redo what you could have done right the first time.
· 7) Effective scheduling. Are you more productive in the mornings or evenings? Are there less distractions at a certain time of day (when the kids are at school)? Think about the bigger picture when setting your schedule to ensure you are making the most effective use of your time.
We could all use a little more time to spend in the practice pen, but if this seems impossible, start by paying attention to how you are spending your time each day. Take note of unproductive periods or wasted time and think about how you might use that time more effectively.
What could you change to give you some extra time in the saddle?
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