Skip to main content

The Mental Game

 

#BreakingFree2023

“Quiet the noise in your head, find your own lane, go at your own pace, and move forward with intent”

It’s no secret that I’ve struggled for quite some time with battling perfectionism and trying to live up to high expectations, set by myself and others. Though I have made great progress in several areas of my life, being a competitive athlete can often cause me an abundance of stress because I feel pressured to perform at the high standards set by my teamates and fellow competitors.

After participating in a few back to back fitness competitions during the fall period, I made the decision to take a ‘break’ and to try to find joy in my day to day training. I realised that, though I absolutely love competing and being pushed to new heights, the amount of stress I was putting on myself was not only becoming unhealthy, but it was also making me question whether I still enjoyed what I was doing.

After approximately 3 months of lowering the intensity of my workouts, following my training program a little more closely, but equally listening to my body more regularly and allowing for some flexibility to train alone and with friends, my passion began resurfacing. Day after day, I looked forward to going to the gym and I was truly enjoying the process of working out, which positively led to lots of progress, both physically and mentally.

That said, a few weeks ago, I briefly got side-tracked. I performed a particular workout (for the 2023 CrossFit Open) and I almost immediately felt unhappy, anxious and self-critical. I can admit that I let the negative voices in my head and around me take over. But, it didn’t take too long for me to put into practice several strategies I’ve been working on this last year; I took a step back, gave myself the opportunity to reflect and to remind myself to quiet the noise in my head, to stay in my own lane, to go at my own pace and to move forward with intent. Fortunately, I was able to bounce back quite quickly.

Over the last few weeks, I have done a few other challenging workouts (from the CrossFit Open) and I have even participated in a new type of fitness competition (The Primal Race). With lots of positive self-talk, I have been able to provide myself with just the right amount of challenge, while still having fun and not feeling overly stressed.


“Show up, do your best and let go of the rest.”

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

In a World Full of Noise, Let’s Show Understanding

“Not everyone processes uncertainty the same way, and that’s okay.” The past few days have been unexpected. What started as a normal Saturday - coaching at the gym, breakfast with a friend, catching up on work with the TV on in the background - quickly changed when I heard a loud “boom” coming from outside my apartment. At first, many of us in the community assumed it came from one of the many nearby construction sites. But, within the next few hours, the loud sounds came again and again, and word spread that these were missiles and drones being intercepted in the sky. I’ve always felt safe here in the UAE, and believe it or not, to a certain extent, I still do. Like many other residents here, I have a lot of trust in the country I’ve chosen to call home for over 11 years. I’ve seen it overcome challenges in the past, such as COVID and floods, and I’ve witnessed how much the leadership cares for the residents, particularly over the last few days.  That said, it’s no secret that I a...
Post a Comment
Read more

Momentum Reset

"Momentum doesn’t just return; you rebuild it, one choice at a time." Before summer began, I was feeling a little low. The tipping point came when I found out my HYROX competition partner’s visa had been denied, meaning we wouldn’t be able to compete at the HYROX World Championships in Chicago. Deep down, I knew it wasn’t the end of the world, but I was still pretty bummed. I thrive when I have a goal, something to work toward, and for nearly two months, I’d been all-in. That training gave me momentum, purpose and energy. When that goal disappeared, so did my drive. Suddenly, my energy shifted in the wrong direction. I slipped into autopilot, stuck in the routine of daily life, work, and thought patterns that were becoming more and more negative. Social media didn’t help. It felt like everyone else was out there doing so much, and I had nothing exciting happening. I would catch myself comparing and as my thoughts spiraled, my body started responding, and not in a good way. Th...
Post a Comment
Read more

Living Out a Dream

 “Have you ever stopped and thought: “Wow. I prayed for this. It’s here. It’s happening.”? I recently received a message from an  old student from my very first school in Canada. It was a simple note, but it sparked reflection in me about where I’ve come from and everything that’s happened over the last 15–20 years. At my age, I often look around and see many of the people ( my age ) settling down; getting married, having kids, buying homes ( A dream for many, especially women. ). And sometimes, I can’t help but  ask myself: what am I doing with my life? However, that message from my former student reminded me of something I often forget: I’ve already been living a dream. When I left my first teaching job in Canada, it was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever made. I absolutely loved my students, and together we had built a really special bond. But at that time, I had a dream to travel the world; to immerse myself in different cultures and to learn from people whose li...
Post a Comment
Read more