Your performance is probably being hindered by lack of flow and perspective

Your performance is probably being hindered by lack of flow and perspective

If you’re struggling with performance anxiety and you feel it’s affecting your capability then I’d suggest two ways to ease fear, relax and flow better.

Play and Process

Play

Lots has been written and researched about flow state in sport. It’s often described as “being in the zone” and is typically viewed as being totally immersed and almost looking effortless in your skill. But there’s a side of it that I’m more interested in and that’s the idea of diminished self-consciousness and intrinsic enjoyment.

I know from my own experience that quite often people compete or participate in competition or fitness events from a place of tension and fear.

 Comparison, feeling like you need to prove something to others and basing your identity solely on your performance will all lead to states of tension and reduce flow. You will feel self-conscious and your enjoyment of your goals will be diminished because it’s not for intrinsic motivation.

Feeling nerves on the start line is normal and helpful, but only in perspective. Adrenaline gets you ready but if it becomes a fear state you’ve already lost potential.

I think it’s important to view sport as play. You’re on the start line and you are about to enter a playground of your choosing where you get to play at the things you love doing best.

Remember this is also a privilege denied to many

Undoubtedly being well prepared helps you play but even if you’re not top notch condition due to life or injury, even more reason just to play.

Losing self-consciousness through a play attitude will keep your ego in check. Why fear failure? We have all failed at some point and it’s not the end of your world because you are still a partner, a parent, a friend.

 Last time I checked, my kids didn’t ditch me as their mum because my burpees were shit.

Process

Love of the process and not just an end goal will undoubtedly help you flow.

We get obsessed with the end goal. Perhaps feeling like that win or that PB time will finally prove ourselves. There’s a reason Olympic athletes commonly get low after the podium.

The people that get the most out of their goals, enjoy mastering the skills and want to better themselves each week. There might be a smart goal to help keep them motivated when it’s hard but if the whole point is the goal then the meaning can get lost.

The magic is in the daily work and who you are becoming through doing hard things and feeling and looking better because of habit changes.

The goal weight or physique, the PB time or race win are excellent of course and highly commendable. But if you couldn’t take joy in the process to get you there, then there will be a big post goal slump and difficulty getting going again.

This is how I grew to love my bodybuilding lifestyle. I actually don’t have a particular end goal and for the first time it’s a pursuit I’m not competing in. Instead it’s the daily process I love and how it makes me feel. There has been big progress in my mental and physical capability as a result. I have shorter term goals to keep me going through harder patches but I’m embracing mastery of technique, daily wins and learning.

Do you feel you love the process or are you entirely fixated on an end goal? Food for thought!