International sport is played more in the mind!
That does hold good for all spheres of life. And perhaps the reason some are more successful than others is because of mental strength. Trial by fire is the hallmark of a champion but it takes years of careful molding and shaping to get the right frame of mind in the first place.
Several top performers have, in recent times, been distressed by lack of proper support as they stay busy. Mental fatigue is one thing but going into depression is quite another!
Rest and relaxation can take care of simple fatigue but depression needs a much more nuanced approach.
Australian cricketers Glenn Maxwell, Jonathan Trott and Marcus Trescothick have all admitted to battling anxieties. So has current Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli. Champion seamer Mohammad Shami even contemplated suicide on more than one occasion as he battled through injuries and family troubles.
First, a person must accept the flaw in the mental make-up. Easier said than done for a person who has already tasted success at the highest levels. But it is the pressure to maintain the level of performance that brought them thus far is what takes a toll. The first question that pops up is: Am I really good enough? And the moment that question mark appears, each performance is put under the microscope.
Here is where professional help is needed. Lingering doubts are not the end of the world. In fact, as one champion sportsperson openly confessed, it is good to have butterflies in the stomach each time you step out. Whether that helps a performer focus more or becomes a distraction is what separates the champions from the rest.
But when performances fail to match expectations, the pressure begins to get worse. Add to that the struggle to stay in the top bracket where the competition is cut-throat!
Champions know how to surmount the hurdles presented by the mind. They can overcome the pressure and move on ... Its a battle that sports-persons must win on their own. A champion is also the target that everyone looks to knock off the pedestal. And it does get pretty lonely up there!
That does hold good for all spheres of life. And perhaps the reason some are more successful than others is because of mental strength. Trial by fire is the hallmark of a champion but it takes years of careful molding and shaping to get the right frame of mind in the first place.
Several top performers have, in recent times, been distressed by lack of proper support as they stay busy. Mental fatigue is one thing but going into depression is quite another!
Rest and relaxation can take care of simple fatigue but depression needs a much more nuanced approach.
Australian cricketers Glenn Maxwell, Jonathan Trott and Marcus Trescothick have all admitted to battling anxieties. So has current Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli. Champion seamer Mohammad Shami even contemplated suicide on more than one occasion as he battled through injuries and family troubles.
First, a person must accept the flaw in the mental make-up. Easier said than done for a person who has already tasted success at the highest levels. But it is the pressure to maintain the level of performance that brought them thus far is what takes a toll. The first question that pops up is: Am I really good enough? And the moment that question mark appears, each performance is put under the microscope.
Here is where professional help is needed. Lingering doubts are not the end of the world. In fact, as one champion sportsperson openly confessed, it is good to have butterflies in the stomach each time you step out. Whether that helps a performer focus more or becomes a distraction is what separates the champions from the rest.
But when performances fail to match expectations, the pressure begins to get worse. Add to that the struggle to stay in the top bracket where the competition is cut-throat!
Champions know how to surmount the hurdles presented by the mind. They can overcome the pressure and move on ... Its a battle that sports-persons must win on their own. A champion is also the target that everyone looks to knock off the pedestal. And it does get pretty lonely up there!
No comments:
Post a Comment