One of the things I love about sport psychology, mental toughness training, and performance psychology is that, to cope with our mental blocks, there are so many different tips, tricks, and tools. We can experiment with one and, if we like, we keep it. If it doesn’t help for a particular situation, we put it aside and we choose use another tool.
When it comes to fear, through these Mental Toughness Moment, we talked about many tools. We’ve talked about reframing. We’ve talked about distraction control. We’ve talked about relaxation. Today, I want to share another technique that might help you to cope with your fears.
As I’m creating this blog, I’m sitting on a dock not very high above the water. But it reminds me of the Red Bull Cliff Divers who stand on a cliff up to 27 meters (i.e. 88 feet) above the water before they take the leap and free fly for about 3 seconds at speeds up to 85 km/hr (i.e. 52 miles/hr). If you haven’t already realized it, Red Bull Cliff Diving is an extreme sport.
During COVID-19, the Red Bull Cliff Divers were on a 21-month break before an event was able to be scheduled. When they came back, many were terrified. It was so scary that athletes wondered why they were back there preparing to jump.
Then they used this technique. First, they decided that they wanted it more than feared it. That is the first question we all need to answer. Once you’ve answered yes, the next technique is to feel the fear and do it anyway. The athletes took their fears with them. One Red Bull Cliff Diver talked about fear as his best friend. They leap off the cliff with their best friend. They don’t create more drama than is necessary and they don’t give their fears more attention that it is already getting. They accept the fear, they embrace the fear, and they jump with it!
Try this technique. Think about a situation where this technique might help you. Where are you afraid and need to feel the fear and do it anyway? See how far you can leap into your challenge. Want it more than you fear it and then feel the fear and do it anyway!
If you have any questions or comments, leave them in the space provided.
Until next time, have a wonderful rest of your day!
-Haley
