We are currently living in a 24 hour lockdown. For many parts of the world, this may seem like a new "normal", but for us it is a first, and hopefully a last...
Coping with the stress of unknowns, like uncertain future, unknown present and uncomfortable times, is a bit like dealing with illness or injury. It can cause us to start "time traveling" to even more uncertain and uncomfortable potential future events. Today I received this article in an email from training peaks (for the full article if you're interested, click here.)
"One of the most powerful mental skills you can have as an athlete, and as a human, is the ability to be mindful. This means staying in the present moment—or more specifically, the ability to bring yourself back to the present moment, and to do so without judgment.
...Drop the negative storylines spinning through your head, and trade the cycle of hopelessness, despair, and anxiety for positive forward momentum.
In fact—you can turn the Fs of Fear, Frustration, and Failure into As in three simple steps:
Accept: Let go of what you can’t control.
Adapt: Change your reactions to what’s happening.
Act: Do what you can right now to create the best possible future.
These three steps—Accept, Adapt, Act—don’t always proceed in exactly that order, or only unfold once. Recovery is rarely a linear process. However, that actually makes this framework even more reassuring. You can return to it anytime you start to feel yourself losing your perspective or focus."
If you are dealing with the 3 Fs of fear, frustration and failure, consider how you can practice letting go of some small aspect of what you can't really control anyway, adapt by making a change for the positive and take action right now in some small way to create a better next moment. How will you stay in the "now" and accept, adapt and act?
