Time Fuels Doubt, Action Fuels Confidence

I have a love hate relationship with competing… ok probably most of a hate lol. I do actually love the camaraderie of competing on a team and the accomplished feeling when it’s over, I love pushing myself in the moments and showing off what I work hard for. But my head gets twisted in lead up. It’s this weird place where I know what I am capable of but I let myself doubt my ability to deliver when the time comes. Silly I know. The BEST times I ever have competing is not knowing much about the workouts and really only looking at where I need to be and when the night before. The less I know, the better. The less time I have between the sign up and the actual day, the better. 

The anxiety of it all is really what ruins it for me. When it comes down to it, anxiety is simply the response to a possible or imagined future threat. It’s not usually about something that is actually happening, but something that could happen or will happen in the future. It’s not present focused, its future focused and imagination driven. How often have you not done something because you were afraid of how you would feel in the moment? You are afraid you wouldn’t be able to handle something physically, emotionally, or intellectually? The reality is, when something is presented to us unexpected, or we are faced with a present reality, we just handle it. We just do it. Our bodies and minds can both adapt to circumstances fairly quickly. 

It’s just like a workout…

You may have some anxiety over whether or not you can get through the workout with the heavier weight, or finish within the time cap. You don’t have much time to think about it, or get anxious over it when the coach says 3-2-1-Go! You just do it. You either finish or you don’t, you either hit the lift or you don’t, and we all move on.

That’s the thing: time is what fuels the doubt. Time is what fuels that anxious fire. Its gives you time to invent reasons why you can’t, shouldn’t, or don’t need to do the thing. Scenarios that may never happen. Imagination can be both a blessing and a curse wouldn’t you say? 😉

All of this to say that there are many things in life that we get in our own way on. We hold ourselves back. We experience anxiety, and internal chatter, and comparison traps. And there are many deep layers, circumstances, and past experiences to unfold to get to the core of your own how’s and why’s you may do that, but we all have the tendency in something. How do we stop?…

While I always encourage the deep work, you can keep it simple and start by learning to recognize your own patterns. What are things that you say to yourself often? When do you day them? Are they really happening or are they imagined scenarios? Is there evidence to support the scenarios or thought? Do you notice any physical indicator when something is triggering an anxious thought? (sweaty palms, tight chest, upset stomach, heavier breathing etc..)

No matter what, you can always stop and take a breath. Take a deep breath. Ask yourself what is happening right now? What do I have in front of me? And shift your focus to the present. It’s simple. It’s not always easy. But repetition creates habits, and 

Mindfulness is a practice…

Staying present is a practice…

Believing in yourself is a practice… 

So keep practicing and feel yourself out of your own way.