By Mark Elmasry
Competitive as a characteristic only means that we are highly suitable for a competition or a test of some sort. Some of us are obviously more competitive than others yet we all compete and struggle in one ring or another. Whether it is your daily office tasks or your daily practice as a high level athlete, every person is geared to stress about a thing or two in their day. Stress most definitely is the ugly mother of anxiety. Anxiety is a state of uneasiness, apprehension, or unusual discomfort.
Athletes may outwardly display anxiety more than the rest of us because they have to perform in front of an audience that might expect a certain performance. Professional athlete or not, we all have to go to work and choose a certain mindset when executing our job. Training the mind is not a small piece of performing well at whatever it is you; it is the largest piece of what you do. Defeat anxiety and unnecessary stress and you will win in any area of life. The cures to an anxious mind are simple.
These 7 powerful tricks eliminate all aspects of an anxious mind:
The word yoga comes from the word yoke or to concentrate. Other yogis will define the origin of the word to be “the calming of one’s mind to a peaceful permanent state”. Essentially yoga practice makes us comfortable with the uncomfortable and takes our body through a mental, physical, and even a spiritual healing process. At the very least, you can hold simple positions to restore our muscles and joints and gain a refreshed awareness of the areas in our bodies that carries tension. Mentally we are calming the mind and spiritually we are accepting and learning to find joy where we would normally have a million other emotions. One of the most powerful things about yoga is the breathing techniques you go through.
2) Breathing Techniques
An incredible yoga instructor Leah Jane Pletts who works with athletes and all kinds of people says, “Pranayama, is where we learn to control our breathing in.”
11 Breathing Techniques to Reduce Stress
Through this practice of equal breath it gives us a focal point to calm the ‘monkey mind’ (Chitta Vritti). Inhaling for a slow four-count, pausing, and exhaling for a slow four-count. We should noticing the urge to fidget, and knowing that fidgeting is just the mind’s way to get out of an uncomfortable situation. We have to choose not to react to the discomfort, and only become aware of it, accept it, and we then come back to our focal point of a breath. After that the mind is able to ease.” Instructors like her can draw an undisturbed focus solely on their breath and capture the wandering mind with daily
The Eastern world is extremely disciplined compared to the Western world at this practice as a whole. Despite how much is actually going on in different countries, almost everywhere else in the world practices some sort of prayer and/or meditation a bit more than Americans do. As basic as it is, roughly five minutes of meditation before your day begins and even more importantly when your day ends can have tremendous affects on blood pressure, productivity, digestive health, cardiovascular health, mental health, parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems hormone function and many other health benefits. That is specifically taking a few minutes out of your day to sit quietly and turn off as much stimulation as possible to relieve the mind and body of incessant stressors. Especially throughout the day we may practice this when the anxious mind becomes prevalent and we take 30 seconds to refocus mindset to the present. Meditation only requires one tool, a word for reference. It is best to picture a white or empty mind and when the mind starts painting vivid images and brings back worries and anxiety it is the soft reminder of the word “peaceful” for example that will be your mind’s reference point.
4. Books
Sgt. Aaron Guyett who a life is changing trainer featured in My Mad Methods had a few words. “I recommend to the person dealing with any stressors or anxiety that they take a different perspective. For me this is done by taking tasks as they come and not pressuring myself about the future and not looking back at the past as something that should be different. You should accept the past as it is done and look inward to center yourself and draw your focus back to the present.”
Books like, Centering Prayer by Thomas Keating really help me do so.” Reading something is the fool-proof way to calm the mind and no mental gymnastics are necessary. Just pick something up that is worth your time and changes your perspective about life in a positive light and keep flipping the pages until you feel refreshed. Another book that I was recommended by a highly sought after sports psychologist I had as a professor in college, Dr. Ken Ravizza, was Man’s Search for Meaning by Victor Frankl. This book deals with soldiers and prisoners in European Nazi entrainment camps who kept a strong mindset and a positive attitude when their lives couldn’t be any worse.
“Never underestimate the power of a getting outside” says trainer Corey Beasley, who works with all sorts of clientele and some of the best athletes in the world.
Many athletes may train and compete outdoors, but they rest and recover almost completely indoors. How about the rest of the world that is not a professional outdoor athlete? Are we at least appreciating natural beauty and unplugging ourselves for a moment each day? If an outdoor activity like hiking or surfing is not feasible; then an indoor hobby might be just what you need to refresh and rid your restless mind of anxiety.
6. Music
Music is a powerful tool that can either spike the heart rate unprompted or ease the mind and relax/refresh the nervous system. Music can bring out a countless number of emotions yet can be such a universal language. Studies show that a high tempo or a lyrically aggressive choice of music for more than a few minutes a day can already have a negative effect on our mental state and can plant stress beneath the surface which will erupt later. On the reverse side of that is where just a few minutes a day of calming/ soothing music going in our ears without any vocals can lower our heart rate, stress levels, anxiety, blood pressure, calm our nervous system and recharge our spirits. Of course we wouldn’t want to mix and confuse this with meditation, however this may be a great aide to making work, or a workout, more enjoyable, or even help us fall asleep.
Friends are the family we chose for ourselves. Friends appreciate who you are and reinforce all your great qualities and bring out the laughter and positive energy unlike any other person in your life. A good friend will always bring you back to a happy and healthy mindset and will be there with you during any period in your life. The dark and lonely alternative of losing contact with your friend’s fuels exactly what anxiety feeds off of. Ignoring your friends or stopping all efforts to make new ones is unhealthy.
Cutting off friendships puts you in the mindset that you are no longer socially capable of carrying that relationship as well as causes minor identity crises as to who you are among the friends you have left. An anxious mind cannot thrive in a happy, healthy, friendly person, who is genuinely laughing and smiling.
Hopefully everyone who is suffering from an anxious mind can relate to the common issues we all have and can utilize these tricks. Yoga, breathing techniques, meditation, books, refreshing hobbies, music, and enjoying friends on a consistent basis will forever terminate an anxious mind and help you reset to the present moment, accomplish your job and win!
Mark is a relentless athlete who is never finished learning. With an education in biomechanics under his bachelors degree from CSU Fullerton he continues to push forward and develop his skills as a coach. Learn more about Mark and the rest of our team here.
Jeff Costa says
Mark your not only is knowledgeable your passionate at what you give your client’s. Thanks Mark you are the kind of trainer that makes me want to work hard. Its like working out with a friend.
Mason Murphy says
I have found that just simply listening to classical music with piano and violins dramatically alleviates my stress in most situations.
Catherine says
I’m glad I do most of these :] One tiny correlation that reminded me when I read past breathing techniques is that breathing is not only important for stress relief and relaxation, but it is significant to a great and effective work out. I’ve learned from one of my mentors that if a client cannot breath the proper way, then we take back all external loads and work on breathing until that technique is improved.
Aubrie Pohl says
Stress and anxiety ignite the sympathetic nervous system, the “flight or fight” response in the body. Back in the old days, the stress response occurred when one was being chased in the jungle or running away from a lift threatening situation. Nowadays, humans are stressed about almost anything and everything from money to time management! The body responds to stress by suppressing the immune system, slowing down digestion, and increasing the breath rate… and these can cause a ruckus within the system! Learning how to accept stress and handle it in a productive manner can greatly affect one’s health and vitality. Using these tips and methods to reduce stress and anxiety can be very beneficial to an improved quality of life.