Cultivating a Mindful Mindset in Sport
Sometimes when I work on mindfulness techniques with athletes, I think they wonder how this can make an impact on their mental game. Unlike many other mental skills, mindfulness techniques are often used outside of sport. Meaning they aren’t necessarily going to be meditating during a game or journaling at practice. So how do these skills make an impact in their mental game?
Mindfulness techniques help athletes train their mind. And as a result that training of the mind cultivates 3 core mindfulness principles as these skills are utilized.
The 3 core mindfulness principles athletes learn and cultivate through practicing mindfulness are:
Beginner’s Mind - The beginner’s mind teaches us that every moment is brand new. This is important for athletes because they are able to perform at their best when they are in the present moment. When they’ve let go of things from the past and can focus on the current moment.
A fantastic example of this is something I saw watching college softball last weekend. There was an athlete that made a defensive error that put her team down in the game and put their undefeated record at risk. She was definitely shaken by this mistake. Then, as they were in the 7th inning (down by one) and down to their last out, this same player came up to bat. Rather than stressing over what had happened in the past she let it go and focused on what she was doing in the current moment. And she came up big! She got a hit that allowed her team to tie the game (and ultimately win).
This athlete didn’t hold onto the mistake throughout the rest of the game. She knew that the moment she was in was brand new and she could still make a positive impact with this new moment (regardless of what happened in the past).
Acceptance - Acceptance allows us to see things just as they are without judgment or resistance. This mindfulness principle is huge for athletes! When we aren’t able to accept things as they are it’s frustrating.
For example, are you able to have acceptance after a loss? This doesn’t mean you are happy about it but instead it means you aren’t harshly judging yourself for the loss. You aren’t getting to a place where you hold on to the loss with blame, judgment, and anger. You’re able to accept it, focus on practicing what needs to be practiced and showing up for the next game the way you want to.
Another example is accepting where you’re at as you work towards your goals. Sometimes when we set a goal we get frustrated because we are so focused on where we want to be, we get mad when progress isn’t faster or we don’t reach the goal when we think we should. This judgment creates resistance and with resistance it’s nearly impossible to approach your goal with a positive and optimistic attitude. This is also where people start to lose motivation and enjoyment. Not accepting where they’re at as they continue to work towards achieving their goal, sets them up for disappointment.
Non-Striving - This is the ability to set a goal, let it go, and focus on the process. Setting goals is important, but you don’t want to focus on the end result and forget about the process that will get you there. The principle of non-striving teaches athletes to focus on the process and take their goals one day at a time.
The best example of this is when a team starts a new season. The goal is always to make it to the postseason. But, in order to get there they start with tryouts. Then, their focus goes to preseason training. Then they focus on that first game. And so on throughout the season. Because that is how they get there.
One thing to clarify with this principle is that it doesn’t mean that you don’t strive for improvement, accomplishments, getting better, or achieving your goals. It means that instead of only focusing on the end result that you want, you focus on what it takes to get there day by day, moment by moment.
So, what are the specific mindfulness techniques that will help you cultivate these principles?
Meditation and deep breathing are great ways to develop the beginner’s mind.
Journaling and gratitude will help you develop acceptance.
Visualization and mindful activities (i.e. nature walk) will help to develop non-striving.
When athletes can use mindfulness to cultivate these 3 principles into their mental game it completely changes how they show up. They are able to stay present in the moment and find flow more often. They feel like the game comes to them easily. They are more positive and confident in themselves. They have optimism through challenges and as they work towards their goals. They find greater enjoyment in their sport because they aren’t worried, frustrated, or living in the past. Instead they are in the present moment focused on performing at their best with a positive mindset.
Ready to put in mindful mental reps to cultivate these mindfulness principles?