Big Event Stress
We’ve all been there, moments leading up to a big event. Your mouth goes feels dry, you start sweating, and your stomach starts flipping. That nervous and anxious feel floods you and you’re now aware that you are doubting the whole thing. This can apply to an upcoming workout, a competition, or a life event. Stress is an integral part of life and without it we would not grow but living in stress causes major set-backs. Live in anxiety and your living in the future, live in stress and you’re living in the past. To be an efficient and happy person, there are four easy techniques to help lower your stress on the big game day.
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Relax
I know how this sounds. So simple, if I could just RELAX I wouldn’t need to be reading this article. But if you’re seriously over-stressed, its time you take responsibility to control your emotions. Loosen up, smile, laugh, and focus on your sense of humor in this stressful event. Even if you don’t feel like being jovial, faking it till you make it is truer. Engage with others and share your emotional load with others around you. You’ll realize that everyone else is going through a similar circumstance.
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Interpretation
As you prepare for a big event, your body begins to ramp up its nervous system to signal that it is preparing for whatever is about to happen. This can express itself in physical terms, such as sweating, increased heart rates, feeling of having to pee, and even jitters, as well as mental, such as excessive worrying, doubt of self and abilities, and increased anxiety. All of these are the result of how you decide to interpret your stress.
Life is too Important to be taken so Seriously.
-Oscar Wilde
As you being to feel your body react to the physical and mental signs of preparing for stress, this is when your mental status of the event is beginning to play out. This means, if you fear, worry, doubt, or are anxious about the situation, your nerves will negatively affect your performance, and reduce your confidence. Conversely, if you interpret the feeling of anxiety as excitement, this is a positive response to the stress. As a result, your nerves can help you get prepared and focused.
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Practice Breathing
Being able to control your breath is one of the direct ways to calm yourself down enough to focus on reinterpreting your stress and anxiety. What’s great about using breathing as a technique for calming down is that it is always there, it’s a reliable constant, and can be accessed wherever you are. “Square breathing” is a simple breathing technique that can help you prepare for a big event.
First you start by taking in a long, large breath to maximal lung capacity, and then exhaling all the way. Once full exhaled, you start by taking in another long, slow breath while counting in seconds to yourself; “1, 2, 3, 4, ect”. This breath should be much slower. Let’s say you inhale for a total of 8 seconds. You would now hold your breath for a total of 8 seconds. During this breath hold, you should focus on completely relaxing your body and allowing your thoughts to flow. Often, people try to control their thoughts during long holds, such as during stretching, but instead, just let the thoughts go wherever they may lead. After the 8 second breath hold, then slowly exhale for another 8 second count. Then repeat the whole process by taking in a large breath, exhaling fulling, and restarting the counting breathing.
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Remind Yourself
Before you decide to make ANY big decisions, it’s important to remind yourself why you chose to do this in the first place. A such, you should be thankful for the opportunity, not upset that you must attend the event. You should know the purpose and revisit it often. Therefore, it is important to not only have goals but revisit them often as they change and adapt with you. Take a few moments to ask and remind yourself WHY you are doing this and WHO you want to be for doing it. Positive Affirmations are great ways to accomplish this when you can’t think of a reason why. To speak Positive Affirmations over yourself and life, simply recognize all negative thoughts you might have about yourself or others and say the positive counterpart. Instead of saying, “Why do I have to be doing this?”, rather say, “I have thankful of this opportunity. I am prepared, present, calm, and ready to tackle this task.”
Always remember, Relax.
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