Sure, our everyday lives aren’t about gold and winning. But we can learn a few tricks from top athletes – and you don’t have to be athletic to do it.
Top athletes are under immense pressure to perform, especially now at the Olympic Games. Sports psychology shows that not only physical but also mental strength is a decisive factor for success. Not everyone works according to the motto “pressure is my pleasure” like the German athlete Lisa Mayer. But there are a number of tricks from top-level sport that we can use to improve our mental strength and resilience in everyday life.
1. Concentration exercises and mindfulness
Ross Flowers, a sports psychologist, recommends simple tricks like memorizing app icons on your phone to sharpen your attention: memorize them for ten seconds, then write them down. This helps you focus on what you have planned, Cnet magazine quotes him as saying.
And mindfulness is also useful: “Mindfulness meditation trains meta-attention, narrow focusing and attentional endurance,” explains Mark Aoyagi, professor of sport and performance psychology at the University of Denver. In the same article, he advises: Start with short daily exercises, even if it’s just a minute.
2. Instead of pressure to be cool: reinterpret fear productively
“Yes, there is fear when there is a lot at stake. This feeling will not go away if you judge it and fight it, so start to allow it,” says sports psychologist Sean McCann in the US edition of Men’s Health. Moments when performance is important are usually chaotic. Once you understand this, the fear is basically normalized, says the consultant, who works for the USA Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC).
And it can even be reinterpreted: According to a Harvard study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology, athletes who were afraid before an important performance performed better when they redefined their feelings positively as “excitement.”
In a similar way, you can use other terms for yourself in everyday life: “intense” and “electrifying,” for example, explains Dr. Michael Gervais from Finding Mastery, a performance psychology institute for major sports teams, managers and Olympians in Paris. This removes the negative evaluation and the pressure. And that helps, according to the expert in Men’s Health, to push yourself forward in order to master the challenge ahead.
3. Take refueling breaks and regenerate
Mental trainer Robert Andrews has worked with multiple Olympic champion Simone Biles in the past, among others. In the same article, he stresses the importance of rest and activities that are meaningful to us, that is, that bring us joy or are meaningful – whether it’s taking photos, meeting friends, observing nature or something else.
This is important in order to mentally regenerate and stay fit. The question “What do you do to fill up your tank?” can be crucial, and not just for athletes: “You have to find something to do outside of work that recharges your batteries.”
4. Routines – even if they are annoying
Cody Commander is a sports psychologist and was the mental health officer for the US team at the 2021 Olympic Games. He relies on routine and perseverance: “Completing unloved tasks every day strengthens discipline,” and we get used to consistently completing necessary tasks.
5. Don’t focus on the goal, but on the path to get there
A medal or getting ahead in your job, the half marathon next year or another goal that we set for ourselves: it is not always just about winning and being better than others.
Rather, the goal can also be a subjective one, says Gerben Wiersma, national gymnastics coach, to Deutschlandfunk: “For me it is definitely: ‘Citius, Altius, Fortius’ [dt.: schneller, höher, stärker]. That’s also my motto, that I always want to see how we can improve. The important thing is that you show the best version of yourself.”
Read more on Techzle\.com:
- For more energy: mountaineer reveals hiking trick
- Instead of 10,000 steps: Ingo Froböse recommends alternative rule
- Silent burnout: These warning signs you should not ignore
** marked with ** or orange underlined Links to sources are sometimes affiliate links: If you buy here, you are actively supporting Techzle\.com, because we then receive a small part of the sales proceeds. More information.