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Why Mindfulness in Sport?

There are many reasons why practicing mindfulness can be beneficial to athletes in sport. Some of the benefits of mindfulness include –

• decreasing the symptoms of anxiety,
• allows you to access flow states (i.e. optimal human potential),
• increased life satisfaction,
• increasing a sense of empathy,
• increases in mindful attention, focus and awareness,
• decreasing symptoms of chronic pain, and
• increasing well-being.

“You might be tempted to avoid the messiness of daily living for the tranquility of stillness and peacefulness. This of course would be an attachment to stillness, and like any strong attachment, it leads to delusion. It arrests development and short-circuits the cultivation of wisdom.” ~ Jon Kabat-Zinn

 

What is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness in everyday life is the ultimate challenge and practice. It is a way of being, of seeing, of tapping into the full range of our humanity – often seen in playful children fully experiencing life in the here and now. Mindfulness is described by Jon Kabat-Zinn (1994)

“as paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment and non-judgementally” (p.4).

Bob Stahl and Elisha Goldstein (2010) report “in Sanskrit, it’s known as smrti, from the root word smr, meaning “to remember” and in Pali, the language of the earliest Buddhist scriptures, it’s known as sati (mindfulness)” (p.15).

The Greater Good Science Centre at UC Berkely say –

“Mindfulness means maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment, through a gentle, nurturing lens.”

Through the practice of mindfulness, individuals can become more aware of their thoughts, feelings and body sensations in the present moment. This observing, non-reactive perspective enables you to consciously respond with clarity and focus, rather than react out of a habitual pattern. It opens up the possibility of working more wisely with difficulties in life and choose what is nourishing to ourselves and others.

In the following clip (4.01mins), Thich Nhat Hanh shares an overview about what is mindfulness? Thich Nhat Hanh discusses how mindfulness is the capacity to be aware of what is going on in this moment and by being in touch with what is happening now, we can feel happiness and gratitude wherever we are. The object of mindfulness can be anything – the sky, the trees or anything else around us and when we learn to (or remember) to bring our attention to this moment, we can see we can be happy right here and right now.

Where Can I Use Mindfulness in Sport?

Simply – everywhere! Yep, over the years (and after being an athlete) I have invested many hours researching, learning and discovering how to be a well-being. For me, one of those keys has been developing mindfulness and I use it daily in my life and wish I had learn it when I was playing tennis. Some specific ways would be –

• effectively dealing with difficulties and distractions in sport,
• communicating mindfulness with coaches, friends and family,
• using mindfulness to grow emotional literacy and intelligence,
• dealing effectively with stress, and
• enhancing self-regulation.

Who Can Use Mindfulness in Sport?

Again, simply – everyone! Yes, every athlete in every sport can benefit by using mindfulness.

When Can We Be Mindful in Sport?

Mmm – think you may be getting the drift of this! Again – in many places and some of them I have already identified above. Some other examples include –

• Failing to meet personal goals and expectations or making mistakes within their sport,
• Working through injuries and focusing on what they can do to recover,
• Managing a performance or training plateau,
• Helping you reach your full potential,
• Persisting and concentrating on what you can do (not what you can’t),
• Taking responsibility for difficult sporting experiences, and
• Keeping a balanced perspective and allowing yourself to move on.

Over to You…

I hope this post has given you some insight in to the 5W’s of Mindfulness in Sport. Over time, I have realised for myself, if I wanted to change my life, I needed to change, which is why I continue to make compassionate choices and live above the line. If you have any questions, please leave any questions or comments below.

Also – if you wanted to read more about my experience in mindfulness and self-compassion, click here. If you are ready to reclaim your courage and take the next step towards freedom and living in to your potential and flow, please feel free to join the Sport Life Flow community by clicking here.

References –

Kabat-Zinn, J. (1990). Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness. New York, USA: Bantam Dell.

Kabat-Zinn, J. (1994). Wherever You Go, There You Are – Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life. New York, USA: Hyperion.

Nhat Hahn, T. (2003). Creating True Peace: Ending Violence in Yourself, Your Family, Your Community, and the World. New York, USA: Simon and Schuster.

Stahl, B., & Goldstein, E. (2010). A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook. Oakland, USA: New Harbinger Publications, Inc.

The post The Why, What, Where, Who and When of Mindfulness in Sport appeared first on Sport Life Flow.

Why Emotional Intelligence?

Emotional intelligence is what we use when we have authentic, open and honest conversations with our coworkers, effectively work with customers and staff in business, empathise with our spouse or significant other, perform under pressure and support a challenging or distraught child / student. It allows us to understand ourselves better, build connections and relationships with others and live a more authentic, healthy, and happy life.

The World Economic Forum indicated that emotional intelligence will be in the top 10 required skills individuals require to thrive by 2020. There are many other reasons, both professional and personally, of why emotional intelligence is important, including –

• being able to better adapt to and cope with change,
• building high performing teams,
• increased employee engagement,
• developing trust and empathy within relationships,
• having a clearer vision and building a great culture, and
• executing performance effectively and efficiently.
•  

What is Emotional Intelligence?

Originally John Mayer and Peter Salovey (1997) defined emotional intelligence as involving the abilities to –

“…monitor one’s own and other’s feelings, discriminate among them, and use this information to guide’s one thinking and action.”

However, since 1997, Mayer and Salovey have redefined emotional intelligence as –

1. the ability to perceive emotions,

2. to access and generate emotions to assist thought,

3. to understand emotions and emotional knowledge, and

4. to reflectively regulate emotions to promote emotional and intellectual growth (Mayer & Salovey, 1997).

Then in 2016, Mayer et al, further refined their definition as the four-branch model of emotional intelligence, with the four branches being –

1. perceiving emotion, 

2. facilitating thought using emotion, 

3. understanding emotions, and 

4. managing emotions.

Where Could Emotional Intelligence Be Applied in Sport?

Simply – everywhere! Emotional intelligences for everyone – whether you are a parent of an athlete, an athlete (past or present) or a coach. And emotional intelligence flows out in to all areas of your life. You can become aware of your emotions as you are reading this. Yes, I know it can be challenging as emotional intelligence is not spoken about much or taught (which is one of the reasons I am passionate about emotional literacy and intelligence).

If you are an athlete (past or present), a parent of an athlete or a coach – what impact could being emotional intelligent have? Would it benefit you to have emotional equilibrium, focus and attention in your day? If you are a current athlete – what impact would emotional intelligence have on your performance? Have you ever felt stressed or as though you couldn’t cope with the pressures of performing at an elite level? I certainly wish I had learn how to cultivate emotional awareness and harmony when I was playing tennis 

Who Can Be Emotionally Intelligent?

Again, simply – everyone! If we go back to the definition above, can you see the benefit of perceiving your emotions, facilitating your thoughts using emotion, understanding your emotions, and managing your emotions, so you can be your authentic self? And as I have discovered, the more emotional intelligence we can have for ourselves, the more we can model and share it with others and grow empathy and compassion.

When Can We Be Emotionally Intelligent in Sport?

Mmm – think you may be getting the drift of this! Again – as much as possible. Emotional intelligence starts from when we get up in the morning to the moment when we go to sleep at night. Some specific examples include –

• Failing to meet personal goals and expectations or making mistakes within sport,
• Working through injuries and focusing on what to do to recover,
• Managing a performance or training plateau,
• Helping you reach your full potential and live your purpose,
• Managing communication and developing relationships,
• Persisting and concentrating on what you can do (not what you can’t),
• Taking responsibility for difficult sporting experiences, and
• Keeping a balanced perspective, managing stress and allowing yourself to move on.

From my own experience, this is a never-ending adventure and practising starts with self-awareness and turning within.

How Can I Be Emotionally Intelligent? –

I think it goes back to Tolle‘s explanation of presence. He says –

“To stay present in everyday life, it helps to be deeply rooted within yourself…. To always have some of your attention in the energy field of your body. To feel the body from within, so to speak. Body awareness keeps you present” (p. 94).

 

Over to You…

I hope this post has given you some insight in to Emotional Intelligence and whether it fits in sport. If you have any questions, please leave any questions or comments below. Also – if you liked this article and want to keep taking the next step towards freedom and bridging the gap between sport and life, please feel free to join the Sport Life Flow community by clicking here.

References –

Mayer, J. D., & Salovey, P. (1997). What is emotional intelligence? In D. J. Sluyter (Ed.), Emotional development and emotional intelligence: Educational implications (pp. 3–34). New York, NY: Basic Books.

Mayer, J. D., Caruso, D. R., & Salovey, P. (2016). The ability model of emotional intelligence: Principles and updates. Emotion Review, 8 1-11.

Tolle, E. (1999). The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment. Vancouver, Canada: Namaste Publishing.

The post Emotional Intelligence in Sport – Does It Fit? appeared first on Sport Life Flow.

Let’s get started…

Why Self-Compassion?

Quite simply because –

 “A moment of self-compassion can change your entire day. A string of such moments can change the course of your life.” ~ Christopher Germer

 

What is Self-Compassion?

Christopher Germer in his book The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion: Freeing Yourself from Destructive Thoughts and Emotions refers to self-compassion as –

“… simply giving the same kindness to ourselves that we would give to others.” 

In her book Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself, Dr Kristin Neff refers to self compassion as having three components –

1. Self-kindness – being gentle and understanding with ourselves rather than harshly critical and judgmental.  
2. Common humanity – feeling connected with others in the experience of life rather than feeling isolated and alienated by our suffering (i.e. experiencing our imperfections). 
3. Mindfulness – that we hold our experience in balanced awareness, rather than ignoring our pain and exaggerating it.

Also, in the The Force of Kindness, Sharon Salzberg wrote – 

“this kind of compulsive concern with “I, me and mine” isn’t the same as loving ourselves… Loving ourselves points us to capacities of resilience, compassion and understanding within that are simply part of being alive.”

 

Where Can I Use Self-Compassion?

Simply – everywhere! Yep, over the years (and after being an athlete) I have invested many hours researching, learning and discovering how to be a well-being. For me, one of those keys has been developing self-compassion and I use it daily in my life and wish I had learn it when I was playing tennis. Some specific ways would be –

• recovering from an injury,
• befriending and transforming the inner critic,
• using self-compassion to deal effectively with challenging emotions, and
• enhancing emotional regulation.

Who Can Use Self-Compassion?

Again, simply – everyone! There are a few myths or misperceptions about self-compassion though, so I thought I would share them below.

Myth: “If I’m too self-compassionate, won’t I just be lazy and selfish?”

Reality: Despite being socially acceptable, self-criticism is not a helpful strategy to helping us fulfil our potential. It can actually do the cause up to feel insecure and inadequate.

Myth: “I am not worthy of compassion.”

Reality: Everyone is worthy of compassion – as we have all made mistakes, no one is perfect.

Myth: Self-compassion is just a form of self-pity or self-indulgence.

Reality: Self-compassion means I think my problems are also important and worthy of being attended to as well as your problems. Self-compassion is about being with our challenges and seeing them as they are not numbing them or pushing them away, which is more self-indulgent.

Myth: We have to earn the right for compassion.

Reality: According to the Dalai Lama, “Human beings by nature want happiness and do not want suffering. With that everyone tries to achieve happiness and tries to get rid of suffering, and everyone has a basic right to do this.. Basically, from the viewpoint of real human value, we are all the same.”

Myth: Self-criticism is an effective motivation strategy 

Reality: self-criticism is not a helpful strategy to feel better despite it being socially acceptable. In fact, it can cause you to feel insecure and inadequate.

When Can We Be Self-Compassionate in Sport?

Mmm – think you may be getting the drift of this! Again – in many places. When a number of female athletes were interviewed about how self-compassion could help them in their sporting lives, they identified a variety of potential areas including –

• Failing to meet personal goals and expectations or making mistakes within their sport,
• Working through injuries and focusing on what they can do to recover,
• Managing a performance or training plateau,
• Stepping back and looking at situations in a positive light (i.e. seeing the silver lining),
• Helping you reach your full potential,
• Persisting and concentrating on what you can do (not what you can’t),
• Taking responsibility for difficult sporting experiences, and
• Keeping a balanced perspective and allowing yourself to move on.

Over to You…

I hope this post has given you some insight in to the 5W’s of Self-Compassion in Sport. Over time, I have realised for myself, if I wanted to change my life, I needed to change, which is why I continue to make I’mPowering choices and live above the line. If you have any questions, please leave any questions or comments below.

Also – if you liked this article and want to keep taking the next step towards freedom and thriving in your sport and life, please feel free to join the Sport Life Flow community by clicking here.

References –

Germer, C. (2009). The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion: Freeing Yourself from Destructive Thoughts and Emotions. New York: Guilford Press.

Neff, K. (2011). Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself. New York, USA: HarperCollins Publishers.

The post The Why, What, Where, Who and When of Self-Compassion in Sport appeared first on Sport Life Flow.