6 strategies to win the battle against your mind

mindset stress Jun 24, 2022

Reduce stress - 6 strategies to implement immediately

You probably have a busy and stressful life. Juggle work, home, friends, family, and other social activities. Sometimes, you might feel like your head is about to explode from all the stress. That’s when your mind plays tricks on you. You imagine things that aren’t real or could be real but probably aren’t – kind of like what happens in the movie “Inception.” Your mind whispers doubts.

This is very prevalent in sport, especially individual sports like golf and tennis, where there are no teammates to help rationalise your mind or give you a quick word to snap you out of a negative spiral. These thoughts are called “inner demons” because they seem like enemies inside of us rather than just negative thoughts. With practice and prepared tools, we can get control over them and manage them so that they do not take over our minds. Everyone encounters doubt and demons, especially under pressure. Experience and disciplined practice help control where the mind wanders.

1. Identify the Root Cause of Your Stress

In order to get a handle on your stress and anxiety:

Identify: you first need to identify the root cause of your stress. There are many sources of stress in our lives, including competition, work, finances, relationships, family issues, and health concerns.
Find the Solution: Once you’ve identified the root cause of your stress, you can work on finding solutions, such as setting healthier boundaries with family members, seeking help from a financial adviser, or scheduling time to manage your work stress.
Take care of yourself: You also need to make sure you take care of yourself.

Remember: Another important thing to remember while trying to manage your stress is to not go it alone. This is often when hiring a coach is invaluable as a sounding board and to question your motives and perceptions. While it’s great to have a support system of friends, family members, and colleagues to help you through tough times, they are naturally biased in your favour and therefore shield you from helpful truth or cannot challenge your point of view and your assumptions.

2. Change Your Thinking

Anxiety and stress are often caused by irrational thinking. If you catch yourself thinking irrationally, stop and correct your thinking.

You have the thought, “I can’t do this,” respond with, “Yes, I can.”
When you have the thought, “I’m shy and don’t know how to talk to people,” respond with, “I can practise conversation skills, so I become more comfortable in social situations.”
Also, when you have the thought, “No one likes me,” respond with, “Some people like me and I can find more people to like me if I am more outgoing and open.”

By changing unhelpful thinking into actions and beliefs that make you feel more confident, you can overcome irrational thoughts that cause your stress and anxiety.

3. Exercise

Exercising releases endorphins that help you feel good, plus it increases your energy levels, making it easier to handle your daily stressors.

Find an exercise you enjoy. If you don’t like your current exercise routine, you won’t stick with it, so choose something you look forward to.
Exercise has many other benefits, including improving your sleep, helping you reduce weight if you are overweight, and improving your cardiovascular health.
An exercise buddy can make it more fun and help keep you accountable.

If you:

have a serious health condition that prevents you from exercising, talk to your healthcare provider about what activities you can do.
can’t find an exercise you love, it won’t get done.

If your exercise feels like a chore, you will find excuses not to do it, so you have like what you are doing in order to stick with it long enough to make a difference in your life.

4. Develop a Morning Ritual

A morning ritual is a positive activity you perform each day as soon as you wake up to start your day.

It can help you get in a positive mindset so you face the day with more confidence and less stress.
It can be anything as long as it is positive and helps you feel good about yourself and your day. Some examples of morning rituals are meditating, journaling, exercising, reading for pleasure, or even eating a healthy breakfast.

Quick Tip: If you have a hard time figuring out what your morning ritual should be, start with something simple that you know will be helpful to you. Over time, your morning ritual can evolve as you find new things that work well for you.

5. Meditate

Meditation is a great way to calm your mind and relax your body. Many people find that meditation helps them feel more in control of their thoughts. This can help you avoid getting caught up in anxious or irrational thoughts that lead to stress and anxiety.

There are many types of meditation. You can choose the type that works best for you.

Some common types of meditation include mindfulness meditation, mantra meditation, guided meditation, and more.

There are also many ways to do meditation.

You can sit cross-legged on the floor, use a meditation pillow, or even sit in a chair.
Find a position that is comfortable for you, so you don’t get distracted and fall asleep while meditating. Some people just cannot get to grips or feel comfortable meditating and that’s okay – adopt no practice that feels wrong for you.

Doing things because they work for others or are the current vogue will create more stress if you don’t like the activity.

6. Watch What You Eat and Drink

What you eat and drink can affect your mood. Certain foods, like caffeine and sugar, increase your energy levels, but only temporarily. These foods can also make you feel more anxious and stressed in the long run. Other foods, like healthy protein and complex carbohydrates, help you feel calmer and relaxed.

There are also certain vitamins and minerals you need to stay healthy and balanced. You must drink water to stay hydrated and avoid making irrational decisions under stress. Find out which foods and drinks make you feel calm and which ones make you feel anxious and stressed.

Download the pdf of the 6 strategies here

Final Words

Once you have identified the root cause of your stress, it’s time to find a solution.
You can’t just ignore your stress, because it will keep building until it’s unhealthy.
The best way to deal with stress is to stay ahead of it.
Stress often shows up unannounced and takes over your life before you even realise it’s there.
You can’t ignore stress forever, but you can take steps to minimise it.
You can set boundaries with people who stress you out, exercise to release stress, eat healthy foods to keep your body balanced.
Take steps to eliminate sources of stress from your life.

Learning how to deal with stress is one of the most important life skills that you can learn. Learn how to identify, manage, and control stress so you can live a healthy life. Use whatever works for you to keep your thoughts in order and rational.

Written by

David Sammel