Picture this:
You had a long stressful day at work, you have a planned training session and you are programmed to hit a single.
There are three pieces to this
1. Your ability to handle outside stressors
2. How consistent you are showing up and training
3. How well you adjust your expectations to line up with the current circumstances.
1. Learn to cope with stress
Take an event and break it into parts. Spend 1 minute on each step. The goal is to distill an action plan.
Step 1: What happened?
Step 2: Why is it stressing you out?
Step 3: What about the event do you have control over?
Step 4: What about the event do you not have control over?
Step 5: What is your action step?
Action steps are physical and acceptance based.
Physical action requires you to plan out a time in the future, to get it done. Some are, one and done, while others require daily, weekly, monthly or yearly maintenance. Planning this action requires you to give yourself permission not worry. Remember its scheduled, it will get done. You’ll cross the bridge when you get there.
Acceptance is an understanding that there is nothing you can do about the situation. This requires acknowledgment of the thought as it arises. When it arises perform one of the following actions. Refocus your attention the next 10 breaths, give yourself permission to be fully present in what you’re doing, write it down, or have response card and read it out loud. It could say “I cannot change what happened, but I can only control how I handle my thoughts. By choosing acceptance I am choosing to be a strong person.”
Nip the thought in the bud. If you’re good at acceptance this may be a quick process. If you’re not, in a kind and compassionate gently remind yourself what to do when you are triggered.
Showing up
Depending on individual differences showing up will look different. It could look like showing up to your workout regardless on how you feel or it could look like carving out time in the day for selfcare. The thing is, if we show up to our greatest capacity, we are expanding our limits, creating a more resilient, mindful person. With repeated positive actions will increase our capabilities for performance in all areas of our life.
Adjust
Okay. So, you made it to the gym and started training. You are planned to hit a single for the day. Remember, the outcome is the outcome and how your composure yourself is the most part in developing the ability to not allow outside factors to affect your performance.
If your lifts feel good enjoy the ride! If your lifts are not feeling good, it’s okay to say, “I’m not going for a max today”. It’s okay for that single to be much lower than your best. If your ego is strong, you’ll say “The hell with it!” and try for a max.
What do you think the outcome is? If you’re into lifting for the long haul, what do you think is the better course of action? If you have some control over your impulses, taking the low road will bruise your ego. Trust me you’ll recover from it a lot quicker than an acute injury or dangerous physiological mindset solely driven by the ego. If your mind is resilient, you’ll be okay with making it a light day or doing something completely different altogether.
Remember you have control over how you respond. How you respond builds your character. If you get pissed off, what character trait are you reinforcing? If you are grateful that you showed and are willing to adjust your psyche, what character traits are you reinforcing?