Oops ! Don't let your emotions ruin your performance....

How to achieve Emotional Self-regulation

Emotional Self-Regulation means you can consciously influence how intensely you experience and express your emotions in different situations.

In sport this is a necessary skill to master. Not only in regard to increasing intensity to climax for peak performance to win but also for when it comes to de-escalating conflict in a game, competition or disagreement between teammates and officials.  

Having the ability to deescalate emotion is essential because failure to do so can lead to catastrophic and even game ending consequences.

Before I share one of the ways I like to help my athletes, I would also like to point out that struggling to reign in how you feel in certain situations can also be impacted by what you may have experienced in the past.

Your current behavior may actually be unconsciously triggered by repressed memories or experiences from other sporting events or from what other people may have done to you. You may be 100% not at fault! But If this has not been addressed and can cause crippling anxiety in stressful situations and your performance will be greatly impacted.

With the help of a sport psychologists, medical professional or alternative healer and with time, you can unpack these events. Just be kind to yourself and know that even with treatment you will may still continue to be triggered by certain situations so lets find a short term solution while we get learn to channel our emotions....

I know as that was me. As a passionate athlete I was at times described as a “hot head” or “firecracker”. I found working with a professional helped managed how I was feeling and empowered me to channel my energy the right way. It gave me skills to conserve my energy and not waste it.

You may have heard people say "breath" when you get stressed. This is not just for energy conservation. This is always a great idea as it gives brain more oxygen and helps you to think more rationally and hopefully ( see Mr Fox above) not say or do something offensive or costly.

I like to take this one step further with all my athletes and combine it with an action.  Now depending on how fast paced your sport is, particularly if do not have a lot of time, to process frustration, try to breath in and and when you breath out do an action. Like breath out and clap. Or breath out and bend raise your arms above your head.

So let’s try this:   Breath in….. but when you breath out – shout it out. Like HAAAAA and CLAAAAP with your hands above your head!  

Its loud, it’s a shock to those around you, it’s a wake up to yourself to snap out of the anger or mood and refocus or snap out of the foul language you were just about to spray at the Ref. Have another word only you know.

In a small way. The Loud Breath out Shout/Clap[ or Jump is like a small scream and when we scream we release cortisol and emotional stress you may be holding as you exhale.

It’s not a rude word so you won’t get a fine, or sent off, or upset or hurt anyone. You’ll reset. It is what I like to call:

State Interruption!

Lets try it. Don’t waste your energy. Channel you emotion back to into your sport and back into getting yourself and your team onto the winning podium.

Coach b