If you know me well or at the very least know my daily schedule, you will wonder why I am writing a blog on managing stress. You might think that I shouldn’t have very much stress because I am a frequent nap taker and my days are usually divided between playing video games, reading fantasy novels and watching TV.
For the most part you would be right. On a day-to-day basis I have one of the easiest lives you could wish for. My job is to work out and then coach kids. It doesn’t get much easier.
The stress comes in when I start to look forward towards the end of the season and the big meets I am going to this summer. When I think about how all my dreams come down to a race that doesn’t even last a minute, and in that minute I can make or break my entire career.
It makes my heart race just to think about it.
While I am enjoying my schedule and job I find it very easy to start imagining every possible outcome of the season, from winning the National Title, to not making the final heat at Nationals, both realistic possibilities.
All I can do is stay positive. And when I visualize the end of the season, I have to force myself to see all the things I want to happen. I have to harness the good energy and block the bad.
Every couple of days I like to take time for visualization. Usually I do it floating on my back in the pool. I either run the entire race in my mind, starting with my warm up and going through the end of the race when I look up to see my time on the clock or I shut my eyes and just go through a list of positive words in my head.
I use these words to convince myself that I can do anything.
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