This month’s training tip is brought to you by our wonderful Strong Minds Clinical Director, Sarah Kiengersky, MA.
Give these Mental Training Skills a try! As athletes it is important to look after not only our physical performance, but also our mental training! Building a strong body and a strong mind!
- Complete goal setting for the upcoming week and month. What are two challenging but achievable goals you can set for yourself to complete by the end of the week and the end of the month? Write these down, and put them somewhere you will see on a daily basis. For example, “I will visualize myself performing a sport skill twice a day for each day this week.” Or “I will be active 4 times a week.”
- Practice deep breathing techniques that you would use in sport to center your focus, help control your emotions, and help clear your mind. Practice deep belly breathing, feeling your belly inflate and your chest rise when you bring air in and feeling your belly and chest fall as you exhale. You can follow this formula: inhale (breathe in) for a count of four seconds, hold the breath for seven seconds, and exhale (breathe out) for eight seconds. Do this a few times in a row. How does it make you feel?
- Building confidence. What are two wins/successes you’ve had today that you feel really proud of? Write a little about it, draw a picture of yourself accomplishing it, or tell someone you’re close with about it.
- Self-care is really important. What’s one thing you can do for you today? Some examples are things like listening to music, reading, drawing, reconnecting with an old hobby, playing a card game, the list goes on! Try to do something for you – something that you enjoy!