A Blog for Foundry by Dr Andrea Furst, leading Sport & Performance Psychologist to celebrate Mindfulness Day 12th September
A direction, a suggestion, or an intervention that we are hearing more frequently. Living in an ‘always on’ society with multiple distractions results in our brains feeling ‘scrambled’, giving us little time to focus on doing one thing well.
The popularity of mindfulness has peaked to counterbalance our obsession with filling our minds at all times. We are losing the ability to be mentally still. Any time we’re not being ‘entertained’, we’re labelling it ‘boredom’.
Working with elite athletes and performing artists provides a constant reminder that the ability to relax and to concentrate are imperative ingredients to sustained successful performance.
We need to appreciate that the ability to relax, to be bored, and to concentrate are skills. Skills that need nurturing. If we continue to neglect them by filling every single moment, then we lose the gaps, the pauses, the moments of nothingness which help our brain rest and reset.
The brain is attracted to patterns and cleverly attaches itself to them, creating beliefs and habits. For example, if we regularly allow our mobile phone to distract us, then maintaining the sharp, clear focus essential for high performance will prove difficult. Mindfulness is often described as being fully ‘in the moment’; this increased awareness makes people clear about what to focus on and less susceptible to distraction.
In addition to improving focus, mindfulness training improves your brain’s response to stress, which reduces performance anxiety and speeds recovery; two vital contributors to high performance.
Mindfulness is self-regulation: it is about interrupting your autopilot and responding with choice. Mindfulness is cultivated through formal meditation practices and is a lot like physical training; you learn by repeated and deliberate practice.
Here are some practical mindfulness drills that are often adopted as a starting point to enhance performance in sport and performing arts that can easily be taken into most aspects of your life:
· Stop and ask yourself, “Where am I?” Your answer can be one of the following: “past”, “present” or “future”. Then ask, “Where do I need to be right now to perform?” Your answer provides you with where you want to direct your mind. Take it there.
· Pay attention to your current breath rhythm. Notice the sensations in your body as you allow the breath to breathe itself. When your mind wanders off, notice any thoughts, feelings, or sensations you have. Gently refocus your attention on your breath.
· Give yourself time to prepare in the time leading up to a performance. These pre-performance routines consist of thoughts and behaviours which ‘prime’ your mind and body to facilitate focus on the task you want to perform.
· Practice doing one thing at a time, thinking one thing at a time, taking things one step at a time.
Expect your mind to wander. Repeatedly refocusing is as much a part of mindful practice as is staying on the object of attention.
It is likely to feel deliberate and painfully slow; it’s the start of helping your brain to have ‘space’ for the focus you need to perform, and to perform when it counts.
Dr Andrea Furst
Sport & Performance Psychologist
Mental Notes
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