So, what makes sportsman/sportswomen successful?
A. Practise
B. Practise and Discipline
C. Practise, Discipline and Hard Work
D. Practise, Discipline, Hard Work and Mental Well Being
For those of you, who haven’t selected option D this article is for you (rest, read it anyways)
So what is mental health/well being? Why the heck should a sportsman/sportswomen care about it? What should I do overcome bad mental space? If you’re a young, budding or even experienced campaigner in any sport and looking for the answers for the above question, then you’ve hit the bull’s-eye here.
So what is mental health?
Mental health refers to our emotional, psychological, and social well being which in turn affects how we think, feel and behave. It is a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his/her own abilities can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productivity and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his/her community. To end my psychological jargon and to give my definition of mental health, it is the state of mind when you’re happy and you enjoy what you do. Well, there can be numerous other definition of mental health each depending on various cultural differences, subjective assessments and personal perception.
Why the heck should a sportsman/sportswomen care about it?
As being in the right shape is vital, being in the right space (mentally) is also critically important. Not being the right space meaning being blurry on your thoughts, lack of focus/drive towards a particular task, not being ready emotionally and triggering ‘I don’t feel nice’ thoughts about something. It’s not complex algorithm to understand that critical thinking, focus and good judgemental skills are cornerstone of an athlete’s performance and not being the right space definitely hampers your skills with unwanted floods of negative and irrational thoughts/decisions. Cultivation of negative thoughts narrows your mind, it compels your mind to do a specific action which most of times isn’t the right choice .You shouldn’t be a person who is facing a red cherry (cricket ball) at 150km/hr while having thoughts about your loneliness.
So what causes Negative thoughts?
Depression, Loneliness, Anxiety, Relationship issues, Professional failures, Death of a beloved one and numerous others are the catalyst for negative thoughts. Isolation from humans, confiding your thoughts in your head, would make your mind a bubble of negativity.
Why is mental health important?
After Rohit Sharma credited “being in the right mental space” for his 2019 Cricket World Cup accomplishments, I wouldn’t need to argue on, why being in the right mental space could do wonders for you. One of the most critical aspect is generic happiness. When your mind is in a happy and controlled state, the same is resonated in your attitude and positive attitude is the holy grail of soft skills. Your mind starts cultivating rational thoughts, composed decision making processes and unprecedented positive and confident approach. To again end the psychological jargon and to recite my thesis on the same, the three steps are...
What should I do overcome bad mental space?
The simplest answer to this is, hit the switch off button. Go on a vacation, Spend time with your friends and family, Do things which sparks a feeling of joy, contentment and satisfaction, talk to people. Regardless of how cliché it sounds, it is the ultimate answer. Sometimes it’s the simplest things which can radiate a feeling of happiness, all someone has to do is find that thing. Humans are complex emotional animals, we crave human touch and we can’t be great in isolation. For a human being to achieve a desired goal it’s mind and body has to work like a perfectly oiled machine, dysfunction of any component could be roadblock on your path.
To conclude I’d like to mention a quote by the most highly cited scholars in psychology, Barbara Fredrickson
“Positivity Transforms us for the Better”
Suggested Read: Ways by which sports improve quality of life
