Emotional Strength

"Depending on the circumstances, you should be as hard as a diamond, flexible as a willow, smooth-flowing like water or as empty as space." Morikei Ueshiba

The word emotion is from a latin word meaning "to set in motion." Sport is an acitivity that sets the body, and mind in motion. How athletes learn to direct that motion constructively is the difference between wasted energy and focused, useful energy. Sport educator, Jim Loehr
defines four primary indicators of emotional toughness for sport and/or business.

Emotional flexibility: the ability for openness, expansiveness, and nondefensiveness in the face of stress or unfamiliar situations.

Emotional responsiveness: Under stress of the athletic battle the ability to remain fully connected and engaged with the situation. Problem solving skills and creativity are helpful tools.

Emotional strength: In challenging situations emotional toughness is the ability to resist and exert great positive emotional force. It's easy to fall into the pit of doubt and attitude of fruitlessness when under great pressure.

Emotional Resiliency: The ability to come back after a setback, loss or disappointment.

A bit off the subject of sports but with all the key elements of the four indicators of emotional toughness and a great read is, "Walt Disney - The Triumph of The American Imagination."

Now for fun and practice:

Emotional responsiveness most closely relates to:

a) Withdrawing from a challenge because it requires too much thought.
b) Staying emotionally connected and involved.
c) The ability to be open, thoughtful and non defensive during times of turbulence.

Emotional Flexibility most closely relates to:

a) A kindness and thoughtfulness towards your opponents.
b) Resisting the urge to quit when the outcome looks bleak.
c) The quality of openness, expansiveness and nondefensiveness during adversity.

Emotional Strength most closely relates to:

a) Working out in the gym even when you don't feel like it.
b)The ability to focus on the activity long enough to get the job done successfully.
c) The ability to visualize lifting heavy objects.

Emotional Resiliency most closely relates to:

a) The ability to distract oneself from the thought of losing.
b) A comic strip character in "The Incredibles."
c) The ability to bounce back from setbacks, losses and emotional hits quickly and easily.

Mindfulness

Each athlete, coach, parent typically say things to themselves or believe certain things about what might happen about a sporting event. The thoughts may promote worry, anxiety, or free
them from worry, tension, anxiety. Thoughts, behaviors are the foundation of confidence or the decay of confidence. What sets up emotional reaction to an event is what a person or persons say about or perceive as the "threat" of an event. It takes some skill to let go of the "noise" and focus on preparing and participating fully in the event itself without judgement of the outcome.

Opportunities for mental distractions are bountiful. Typical worries begin as a one sentence fuse and often build into a mountain of "what ifs." The key is to be aware of the thoughts without being pulled into the whirl pool of them.