Fear causes pressure; fear of an undesirable outcome.
Athletes fear many things: losing, looking bad, making mistakes, getting cut from the team, sitting on the bench, getting yelled at, just to name a few.
I'm a Mental Toughness Coach. I make a point of listening to athletes and these things DO NOT help relieve pressure: "Don't be nervous, you got this," "Fake it till you make it," "You'll be fine," "Don't let them see you sweat," "Toughen up," "Suck it up," "This is no big deal."
Why doesn't this advice help?
Because we are avoiding our fear. And you can only avoid it for so long.
As the pressure builds, what's inside, comes out.
Allow me to explain. When you squeeze an orange, orange juice comes out. Not matter how hard you try, you cannot turn it into apple juice. "Come on orange! You got this!!" Even a great pep talk will not help.
When we feel nervous, anxious, fearful, doubtful, unconfident, timid, uncertain, and we get squeezed, guess what comes out? Sure as heck, not apple juice.
My main job as a Mental Toughness Coach is to help athletes understand WHAT to do with HOW they FEEL. I help them build courage so when they get squeezed, that's what comes out.
Contact me and let's get started. shawnee@shawneeharle.com
