Stress can be a motivator or it can bring you to your lowest point. Living in a stressful state of mind can cause disease and prematurely end your life. But, if you understand how to handle your stress, you can use it as a tool to help achieve success as well. Without stress, most successful people would not accomplish the goals they aimed for. Stress can propel you into a place of critical thinking.
Let me share my story. It all started when I was a young kid in youth sports, and there was so much pressure from my family to perform, and be one of the starters on the football team. I must admit, I wasn't really that good of a player and was playing out the place. And I was in situations where I was yelled at to be tougher, to be faster, and to make the play as a young boy, and I definitely lived to impress the people that believed in me, and did not want to let them down but many times that caused stress. I think that caused me to not be as confident in my ability until my adulthood.
I spent more time thinking about the areas I was failing in and had a hard time celebrating the things I was good in. What am I really trying to say? Stress also helped me achieve because it pushed me to improve my skills so that I can accomplish my goals of eventually playing football in College and NFL. But it also made me sick because I wasn't able to handle the negative emotions and bad vibes caused by the pressure of being an athlete. It took a while but I had to make changes.
One thing I did to help me deal with mental tension is to give myself a timeline to dwell on what I felt I could've done better at. I gave myself 24 hours. I had to stop overthinking those moments. I had to redirect my thoughts and speak positively. I also wrote down what I could've been better at and also what I can do or how to handle that situation if it presents itself again.
I believe that understanding the purpose of stress is only to push you to achieve and let you know where you should make changes for a better outcome. You can't let it beat you up or it will hold up your process.
And I would encourage you to read and research everything about the word stress which is also known as the state of worry. I believe all athletes deal with the issue of wanting to be the best and falling short, only inviting the reminder that at that moment, you weren't good enough, and that can weigh on you heavily.
So remember, it's up to you to conquer the negative thinking, and to use it as a step to improve, and not to let those thoughts win.
Roderick Rogers
Athlete Strategy
IG rod_allen_rogers_