The most effective way to break a cycle of anxious thoughts + feelings...

Is turning to the body!

When anxiety-provoking thoughts crop up, you must STOP and use breathing to effectively calm down.

Why breathing is so effective and which breathing techniques work best: click here.

Once calm and feeling less anxious...

The next step is to re-focus on task-orientated actions to prevent you from slipping back into a cycle of anxiousness.

Task-orientated thoughts answer this question: 

“What can I do about it?”

It's usually best to focus on 3 things.

"What if I race badly and lose tomorrow in the 100m Fly?"😵‍💫

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STOP AND DO THE BREATHING EXERCISE THEO SHOWED ME. 

[This may need to be repeated]

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I'm feeling less anxious now😮‍💨

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RE-FOCUS ON ACTIONS

Instead of worrying about tomorrow, I am going to think about how well my starts have been in practice.

👇🏻 👇🏻 👇🏻 

“I am going to _____ , ______ and ______ just like I discussed with my coach and with Theo.”

See how the focus has shifted  from feelings to actions!

Breaking a loop of   “thoughts + feelings”.

Sometimes, the thoughts and feelings that you are having  may be valid.

Let’s say you’re worried/ anxious  about your putting…

This may be a completely  valid concern…

And one that needs to be addressed.

See why “calm down” is ineffective. It offers no solution.

“Okay anxious thoughts & feelings, I know you’re there.”  

 👋🏻 👋🏻 👋🏻

I’m going do breathing exercises.

“Now, I’m ready to think about what I can realistically do about my putting in the timeframe that I have.”