Mindset... any why it matters

We don't often think about how our mindset affects our performance.  But the reality is that our mental state has a real impact on how we can function, sleep, and even perform daily tasks.  

To be clear, this post is not speaking about clinical depression, dipolar disorder, or another mental illness that may require medications or other treatments.

The Olympic trials have been going on and I have sat in amazement watching the absolute skills of these individuals and teams.  The track and field events experiences record breaking heat and yet, the athletes took it all in stride (seemingly) and some managed to break world records.  Of course, what we don't see is all the struggles behind the scene with the athletes, all their heartache, trials, and exhaustion.

In the distance running community, we often say that the finisher is not decided by their physical shape, but their mental shape, the ability and skill to continue to fight during the challenging times.  The same goes for training.  It can be difficult to wake up early and train in adverse conditions, yet if it is important to us, we perservere and always feel better after we have completed our workouts or tasks.

The real skill is finding the tool that we need to break out of the rut of negative self-talk.  For some it is a mantra, others audiobooks or music, and others a gratitute journal.  Whatever it is, make sure that you take it with you on all your daily challenges.

But..... real talk, sometimes this isn't enough and lets face it, we need that extra boost of energy and focus.  For me personally, I need an entire toolbox of goodies to get me through a long run.  Food, hydration (with electrolytes and ginger for nausea), mantras, vitamin injections, and more.  

Let's face it, it has been a really hard 2 years for all of us, and getting out of the slump to better times requires a team effort and a lot of tools and not every day will be good.

You aren't alone, find your support system and tools to get you our of the rut and plan some new goals to accomplish.

We got this!

Author

Sara Love, ND