Unlike many other mental skills, mindfulness techniques are often used outside of sport. Meaning athletes 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.

It’s surprising how many athletes come to me wanting to enjoy their sport again. They feel like they’ve lost all joy in the sport they used to love. The game just isn’t fun anymore. There is too much pressure on them. That loss in enjoyment and motivation can be so frustrating. You used to love your sport, but now it just feels different.

The good news is that finding your joy again IS possible. But it will require you to make your mindset a priority.

Happy National Signing Day to all of the athletes signing their letters of intent today! Many of you probably have this day in mind even if you aren’t signing your letter today. You may be a senior and haven’t gotten an offer you love yet or maybe you’re an underclassman and just dreaming of this day for yourself. No matter where you are in the recruitment process it’s important to make your mindset a priority as you work towards your recruitment goals.

How much of your brain space is wasted on thinking about mistakes?

When your brain space is completely consumed with trying not to make a mistake and dwelling on mistakes once they happen, you aren’t able to perform your best. You’re so focused on not making mistakes you actually make more mistakes. You feel inconsistent. And your confidence fades.

One thing that confident athletes utilize consistently is positive self-talk. They make positive self-talk a habit.

Sometimes I think people are surprised when I say self-talk is a habit. Usually because they don’t even realize what they are doing that is reinforcing their habit of negative self-talk.

It’s officially that time of year. The time of year when everyone is focused on wrapping up this year and setting goals for next year. The time when people start asking you what your New Year’s Resolution is, and you start hearing people say “New Year, New Me!”. The new year is always a great time to set goals. It’s like someone has hit the reset button and you get a fresh start in the new year. But, there is one part of this process that I see so often skipped and overlooked. Before setting your new years goals, reflect on this year! 

In sport there is a lot that is out of your control. How often do you think about a bad call the ref made? Then it takes your head out of the game and you’re frustrated and playing more aggressively than normal because you are angry and frustrated with the ref. When you focus on the things out of your control you end up wasting your mental energy.

Setting daily goals gives you intention for each day that may not be there otherwise. It allows you to be in control of your improvement and development even when the coach is deciding what practices look like for you. And it sets the standard for what’s needed to achieve your big goal. 

This time of year is known as the season of giving. While you embrace this season don’t forget to give to yourself as well. Don’t forget to give yourself the things you need. Don’t forget to take care of yourself. Don’t forget to set boundaries. Don’t forget to check in with yourself. Those things are important. They are a priority.

A brain dump is spending 2-5 minutes writing down all of the thoughts in your brain. These usually show up as doubts, fears, and worries. It’s all of the negativity that feels like sticky gunk in your mind. It’s the thoughts that you know lead to a downward spiral when they come up.

When comparing yourself you’ll have that feeling of “never good enough”, or “you’re not doing enough”. These are definitely not helpful in allowing you to show up your best and reach your goals.

If you feel like you get stuck in comparison here are a few tips to help you put the focus back on yourself and lift yourself up.

When people say “See it. Believe it. Achieve it.”, THIS is what they mean. This is how you do that. IMAGERY!

When was the last time you paused and checked in with yourself? Took a moment to see how you’re feeling, what you need and where you’re at in order to feel your best.

Confidence is just like any other physical skill you learn for your sport. You put in the reps to learn a new skill. Then, you put in more reps to improve and master the skill. The same goes for confidence (along with all mental performance skills)!

What is mindfulness? Mindfulness is really being in the here and now without judgement. It’s allowing yourself to be fully present in the moment. It is going through the present moment with purpose and intention, by focusing on your thought processes and how you are perceiving the world around you.

Oftentimes we struggle with the role we’ve been given. Maybe it’s the role you have at work, the role you have in a group project, or on your team. If you want to change the role you are in, the best thing you can do is to focus on what you can control. Show up for yourself and continue to improve 1% every day.

Goal setting is one skill that seems like a no-brainer, right? In reality it’s often overlooked, avoided or goals are set to be too attainable. Although goal setting is something we are told to do, I see it done ineffectively way too often.

When chasing a goal, falling is inevitable. But allowing yourself to fall forward is the key to continuing on your journey to achieving that goal! Fall towards improvement, growth, commitment, and belief!

The best thing about mental skills is that your mental game plan doesn’t just come into play for the big game. It comes into play for the big moments in life as well. I want to help you develop your mental game plan so that whether it's a big game or a big moment you have the tools available to put to use.

Mental training is a key component to sport. Having a mental game plan will allow you to have all of the tools ready when you need them. You will know what to do and when. While also having confidence in the consistency of your mental game plan. And by continuing to put in the mental reps you will maintain and improve your mental fitness along the way.