Stress is Not the Enemy

Hi Everyone, thanks for checking out this week’s newsletter. Below you'll find:

• Performance Concept of the week

  • Stress is Not the Enemy: How to support your athlete in embracing stress for enhanced performance

• Action plan

• Resource of the week

• Things to Explore

• Got Questions?

Performance Concept of the Week

In a world where high performance is the gold standard, especially in sports, stress is often misinterpreted as an obstacle. You may want to encourage calmness in your athlete, seeing stress as an enemy to their progress. Yet, this common approach may unintentionally suppress the very discomfort that can fuel growth. When properly understood and harnessed, stress becomes a tool for enhancing both mental performance and mental health.

The perspective in this quote isn’t about pushing athletes to ignore their stress; instead, it invites them to lean into it, fostering resilience and mental agility. Resilience and mental agility are two of the factors coaches at the next level are looking for!

What We Get Wrong About Stress

Many people view stress as something to eliminate. In high-stakes situations like a big game or a challenging training session, it is common for athletes to hear “calm down” or “relax.” A Harvard study found that 90% of people believe stress should be reappraised as calmness—but this may be where we go wrong.

The more we suppress stress, the more it controls us, creating a vicious cycle of stress about stress, which can undermine performance.

Stress Isn’t the Problem—Our Reaction Is

Stress is a natural combination of caring deeply and facing uncertainty. It’s not something to fear; rather, it signifies that the moment holds significance. When we try to suppress these feelings, we relinquish control to our emotions. However, when we accept and lean into our stress, we regain power, allowing us to stay focused on the task, rather than on achieving the “perfect” emotional state.

For athletes, the essence of sports is that mistakes, errors, setbacks occur. It is usually the athletes that react to this stress that come out on top in the long run.

Shifting the Lens: Harnessing Stress for Better Performance

When stress is viewed as an opportunity, it enhances performance. Reframing stress as a normal part of caring about the task allows athletes to channel it as a source of energy. Elite performers know that discomfort, nerves, and stress are natural when the outcome is uncertain and meaningful. By becoming comfortable with the uncomfortable, athletes can use stress to fuel their actions, giving them an edge on the field and in life.

How Parents Can Support Their Athletes

As a parent, you play a crucial role in helping your athlete reframe and embrace stress rather than fight it. Here are some tips to guiding them toward using stress to their advantage:

1. Reframe Stress as Growth
   Teach your athlete to view stress as a sign they care. Encourage them to see these feelings as indicators of importance rather than obstacles to overcome. Often stress is manifested from pressure. You can tell them pressure is a privilege!

2. Promote Acceptance Over Suppression
   Rather than encouraging them to push away their stress, help them acknowledge it. Acknowledge the stress as part of the process. Teach them to take a deep breath, accept the discomfort, and redirect their focus to the task ahead.

3. Encourage Focus on Effort, Not Perfection
   Remind them that nerves or discomfort don’t mean they’re unprepared. Shift their attention to the effort and preparation they’ve invested rather than seeking the “perfect” feeling.

4. Model Resilience by Embracing Challenges
   Share examples of how you’ve faced stress and discomfort in your own life, demonstrating that it’s normal and often leads to growth.

Summary

Stress is often seen as a hurdle to overcome, especially in sports. It is natural as a parent to encourage your athlete to stay calm, inadvertently suppressing the discomfort.

Instead of trying to eliminate stress, embracing it as a sign of caring deeply and facing uncertainty can be transformative. When stress is reframed as a positive force, it can enhance mental performance, resilience, and mental health. You as a parent play a vital role in this shift by helping them view stress as growth, promote acceptance over suppression, focus on the process and effort over perfection, winning, and the outcome. By understanding stress as an asset, athletes can channel it to their advantage, achieving more both on the field and in life.

Action Plan

The next time your athlete expresses their stress, try a simple conversation:

• Ask: “What about this situation feels important to you?”

• Acknowledge: “It sounds like you really care, which is why you’re feeling this way.”

• Encourage: “Let’s use that energy for the task—focusing on what you can control.”

Resource of the Week

This week’s resource is a youtube video talking about how we can rethink stress!

Things to Explore

• Read: Our Reading Library

• Download: Resource Guide Series

• View: Previous Weekly Performance Concepts

Got Questions?

Do you have a question, or want to know more about a topic. Let our team of experts help you. Ask your question here by clicking the button below. We will post answers to questions within future newsletters.

Don’t forget to follow us on social!