5 Tips to Mental Toughness- Seattle Chiropractor Report
Posted by Dana Rindal on Wed, Jun 13, 2012 @ 11:15 AM
The Seattle Chiropractor Report:
“There isn’t a person anywhere who isn’t capable of doing more than he thinks he can.”
-Henry Ford
Typically when we think about athletes, we think of them in terms of their “physical ability”. However, if you ask the truly great athletes, you will find that mastery over their mind is one of their greatest weapons that they have in their arsenal. Take for instance, the recent article in Vogue on Syndey Leroux, the youngest player on the U.S. Olympic Soccer team.
“Although she is among the youngest players on the squad, she sounds like a seasoned pro when she lays out her game strategy. “You get one really small chance,” she says about her knack for finding just the right moment to score. “When that chance happens, you feel it. You pounce on that. And it may happen in the eighty-ninth minute, but it will happen. That’s my favorite part of the game, finding these glitches and trying to make something of them.”
How is mastery of the mind achieved? It is hard work, just like training our physical body. It takes discipline, practice and of course support. Some ideas to get started on your mental training?
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Get a coach! Hire someone to help you move forward both on a physical and mental level. For some of us, mental discipline is just a matter of making exercise and our body a priority. A coach can help!
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Find an exercise partner and someone that you can train with. Ensure that person is a positive person that will encourage you, not necessarily turn your workout sessions into a time of complaining. Also, make sure that you are a good partner as well!
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Turn your thinking around and make sure you are focused positive thoughts. When you find yourself thinking about “why you cannot do something”, stop yourself and start to think about how “you can do something”. Simply changing how you think about a problem, will often allow you to come up with unique and non-obvious solutions. (example. Instead of thinking that you are way too tired to workout again, start thinking about what sounds good today for a workout? Maybe instead of a run, you do a walk-jog.)
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Make sure that you are always turning the “lemons in your life, into lemonade”. Everyone has tough things thrown at them. Work on your response, and choose to make the best out of a tough situation.
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Last but not least, grow! Read, listen, and learn. Challenge yourself daily and grow from your experiences.
Sydney once again, shows us the power of her mental strength. When her competitors falls apart because of changing weather or conditions, she ensures it’s the moment that she will excel as described in the recent Vogue article.
“(Sydney) has a talent for raising her game in conditions that might slow other players down. “I absolutely love playing in the rain,” says Leroux, who grew up outside Vancouver, B.C., in a coastal area known for its precipitation (her mom is Canadian, her dad American). “It reminds me of home.”
Go out and do your best today. Seattle Chiropractor
If you have any questions, please feel free to email Kevin Rindal, Seattle Chiropractor at DrRindal@InHealthSeattle.com.