Sports psychologists explain the ins and outs of common mental strategies used by athletes, especially at the Olympic level; turns out, these are methods we can all use to enhance our own everyday performance.
Simone Biles, Noah Lyles, Armand Duplantis, Katie Ledecky, and thousands of other athletes at the 2024 Paris Olympics have once again left many of us non-superhumans wondering, How in the world do they do that?! Though their fascinating showcase of physical abilities may astonish us time and time again, the piece we often don’t see is what goes on in the minds of elite athletes.
Gradually, the Olympics is trying to change that. What made the 2024 Paris Olympics unique was the heightened focus on mental health, with brand-new facilities, a wide range of resources, and an essential dose of empathy introduced to humanize athletes and offer them support. These decisions helped foster an environment where athletes feel more comfortable utilizing several of the brain-boosting strategies to be discussed in this article, and sharing aspects of their mental health with the public.
In the words of the International Olympic Committee, “Olympism is a philosophy of life, exalting and combining in a balanced whole the qualities of body, will and mind.” Sports is never just about physical strength, endurance, and agility; it’s also mental. And these mental strategies used to deal with stressful moments are by no means exclusive to elite athletes! We can all benefit from a resilient mind.
Mindfulness: When Only the Moment Matters
First up on the list is mindfulness, defined as “a state of active, open attention to the present. This state is described as observing one’s thoughts and feelings without judging them as good or bad.” It involves being aware of one’s state of mind and surroundings, and accepting them wholeheartedly.
Dr. Marieka Miller, a licensed clinical psychologist, explains that being stuck in the past or future is extremely detrimental to athletes and doing so “is bound to decrease their skill execution.” Dr. Miller also explains that studies on mindfulness have determined that regular practice of living in the moment leads to physical changes within areas of the brain related to stress.
However, the general assumption that mindfulness is the same as relaxation is a common misconception. Though mindfulness can feel relaxing, it can also involve coming to terms with emotions like anger, sadness, or boredom. Some techniques to practice mindfulness include deep breathing, meditation, and journaling.
The 2024 Paris Olympics had a special room dedicated to mindfulness, called the “Athlete365 Mind Zone x Powerade.” In addition, several athletes at the 2024 Paris Olympics were seen meditating before their events, including Simone Biles, who even posted a picture on social media of her meditating, captioned “mental health matters.”
Dr. Eric A. Zillmer, a sports psychologist and professor at Drexel University, shares thoughts on what mindfulness truly means in elite sports: “The fact that Olympic sports are all-consuming is the beauty of spectating; it is mesmerizing. Only the moment matters, but some of those moments last a lifetime.” The same is true in many contexts outside of sports, such as an important speech, interview, competition, or presentation. Nothing matters more than the moment!
Positive Self-Affirmations: You Got This!
“Okay… You got this… Last one… This is for me… Last one ever… Come on… Without a doubt…” were the inspiring words of affirmation spoken by USA gymnast Suni Lee, as she prepared herself for the floor routine that led her to the all-around bronze medal at the 2024 Olympics.
Affirmations are statements we repeat to ourselves to make our thinking more positive. Self-affirmation theory in psychology states that we are motivated to reassure ourselves and uphold our self-esteem when faced with threats.
Todd Durkin, an internationally recognized strength and conditioning coach, as well as a motivational speaker and author, always says that “your words are really important to how you act, because the saying goes: ‘Watch your thoughts, they become your words; watch your words, they become your actions; watch your actions, they become your habits; watch your habits, they become your character; watch your character, it becomes your destiny.'” The power of thoughts cannot be underestimated.
In addition to thoughts, Dr. Zillmer says that “nonverbal cues are crucial in athletic competition” and this includes “physical appearance, posture, gestures, and body position, also known as body language. Carrying oneself in a positive manner can signal to the mind and body that they’re “ready for what is coming next.”
According to Psychology Today, to use self-affirmations, the goal is to choose a meaningful, positive sentence that represents how one wants to think. Another tip is to phrase it in the present tense. Affirmations may also include reminding yourself of the purpose of what you’re about to do. Affirmations can help maintain self-confidence in times of stress, which ultimately boosts performance.
Achieving Complete Relaxation
Though not the same as mindfulness, the technique of relaxation skills training often has some overlap with mindfulness. Dr. Marieka Miller says that relaxation skills training is “one of the most effective techniques for optimizing mental health and performance. It includes progressive muscle relaxation, visualization, and diaphragmatic breathing.” The overall goal of relaxation skills training is to stay calm in stressful situations, similar but not always the same as the goal of mindfulness, which is to focus on the present moment.
Progressive muscle relaxation involves systematically tensing and relaxing different muscle groups in the body. Helpguide.org states, “With regular practice, it gives you an intimate familiarity with what tension—as well as complete relaxation—feels like in different parts of your body. This can help you react to the first signs of the muscular tension that accompanies stress. And as your body relaxes, so will your mind.”
Another way to relax is visualization, similar to meditation. This technique involves imagining you’re in a place where you feel at peace and slowly explore the place while letting go worries and stress.
Meticulous Preparation Is Key
However, the best way to optimize performance is also the one that is the most unavoidable: meticulous preparation. Dr. Zillmer says there’s no easy way or trick to avoid this part, and “Olympians work hard, depositing money into the mythical Bank of Excellence. Later, they tactically withdraw their sweat equity at match point.and it’s an essential part of sports and becoming skilled at something.”
Dr. Zillmer explains the importance of practice from the lens of neuroscience: “Over half of our brain’s neurons are inhibitory, while the rest are excitatory. Our brain is at constant war with itself, between excitation and inhibition. Thus, a well-executed tennis backhand is related to this “stop-and-go” integration. It takes tens of thousands of hours to master the fluidity of footwork or the mastery of a tennis volley of Paris gold medal winner Novak Djokovic from Serbia. I am fully aware that while watching Djokovic, I am not only watching great tennis, but I am watching brain chemistry at its finest.”
Practicing the sport and practicing mental techniques like mindfulness and visualization are equally important to ensure an athlete is able to show up and perform at their best when it’s time for the event. Athletes like Japan’s Ami Yuasa, who won gold in the inaugural sport of breaking, make their performance look easy. But this so-called “effortlessness” is anything but. It’s an illusion created by the mastery achieved through a culmination of hours of dedication and commitment.
Ami Yuasa’s Instagram post of her breaking practice while she was jetlagged shows just how much of a role practice played in her accomplishments.
Have fun!
Preparation is best done well in advance; however, in the moment, playfulness and cheering others on are the best ways to optimize mood and performance. The goal with playfulness is to elevate an athlete’s confidence, let loose, and get hyped.
One example of athletes enjoying the moment during the 2024 Paris Olympics that stuck out to Dr. Zillmer was “when high jumper and gold medal winner Hamish Kerr from New Zealand became a cheerleader for the thousands of fans watching him by encouraging them to cheer him on with rhythmic clapping.” Another was when “Sweden’s David Ahman and Jonatan Hellvig high-fiving their way to the beach volleyball gold medal at the picturesque arena at the base of the Eiffel Tower. The duo stayed in the moment, kept loose, and competed with joy.”
When one has gotten past the preparation stage, confidence, relaxation, having fun, and focusing on the present moment are key to execute at the highest level. And that is what many of the specific strategies ultimately help with.
“Olympic gold medal winners are not only great athletes, but they also have impressive psychological skills,” Dr. Zillmer concludes.
How to Apply These Strategies to Student Life
In student life, the way to apply these strategies may look a bit different, but the underlying reasoning is the same. Mindfulness could mean deep breathing or mediating before an important exam. Meticulous preparation means preparing well in advance for exams and presentations to avoid stress in the moment. Spreading positivity and wishing others good luck, and reciting positive self-affirmations apply to student life as well.
But there’s also some more bonus strategies that are most applicable to students! One is the 2-minute rule to avoid procrastination, done by identifying tasks that can be completed in two minutes and then doing those now. Lastly, as a student, creativity can be extremely important. A way to unleash creativity is mind-wandering, which is exactly what it sounds like. Give yourself some grace and some free time to simply let your brain exist, free of work, distractions, etc. The result is often some of your best ideas.
Whether you’re a student, athlete, both, or neither, these brain-boosting strategies are incredibly valuable for your line of work! The goal of each and every one of these strategies is to optimize the mind for whatever challenges may come your way.
To see more brain-boosting strategies in action, be sure to check out the 2024 Paralympics! And for more health and wellness content, check out these productivity hacks and mindfulness tips!
