Five Tips for Handling Pressure
Lessons from World Cup Champion Skier
My name is Jasmin Taylor, I’m from Ipswich (Suffolk) and sponsored by enable.services for the winter season where I’ll compete in the FIS Telemark World Cup for Great Britain.
When it comes to elite sport, there is an expectation that the pressures of training and competition are things that you get used to, and eventually we take in our stride. Like any routine, it should become second nature once you’re in the swing of your schedule.
But the truth is that it’s really difficult to manage stress, and even full-time athletes don’t always manage it. We’re all human.
Over time, I’ve learned and adopted techniques as part of my preparation process so that when a competition approaches, I know that I’ll be ready for it, physically and mentally.
Here are a few tricks I’ve learned for managing stress over the years whilst competing:
1. Reminding yourself you've dealt with worse
In some cases, maybe you haven’t but in most cases, you probably have, even though it doesn’t always feel that way in the moment. Remembering what you’ve overcome often brings me confidence. This doesn’t always need to be from a work situation; it could be from anywhere in your life and just keeping that thought which brings you some strength might be enough to reduce your level of stress.
2. Laughing to relax
Sometimes when something has gone so wrong, or there’s a tonne of pressure on a situation to go right, I have found myself thinking “this is ridiculous, this is just silly” and when I’ve been able to find that approach, I tend to ski well, and everything comes almost “easily”. I’m not a business person but laughing seems to be the quickest way to cut through any amount of stress and helps you relate to the situation differently. You relax and then the best part of your brain seems to be available again.
3. Be prepared and if you're not prepared, own it!
If I feel ready to compete, that’s half the stress gone before you’ve even started. If I feel fit and strong, and have a mental plan going into a race, it gives you a lot of confidence. Then all that is left to do is focus on the job at that moment. Though even for athletes this is not possible all the time; you get ill, there are setbacks from injury, mental blocks and doubts, sleepless nights, a white-out blizzard and much more. So, when I find myself in these more stressful, not ideal situations, you kind of just have to accept it for what it is.
Sometimes I say to myself “I am not feeling good/well/confident (whatever it is)”, because I personally cannot pretend to myself I am okay if I am not, and by admitting it and accepting it I often feel much better. Then, doing your best with limited resources feels more real and a whole lot better (well to me at least) and if things don’t turn out in the best possible way, you’ve already established what could have been better and how you can be in a better place next time.
4. Pressure is a privilege
My coach said that to me once and it stuck. The pressure means you’re good, means you’re trusted with a job, and you’ve earned that expectation from others. If you’ve done it before you can do it again. When we are stressed and overwhelmed, sometimes a simple compliment from someone “you’ve got this” can be enough to give you confidence again. In case no one says it to you, you might just have to say it to yourself.
5. Stay active
I’m not an expert on stress management, but the advice the pros always seem to give is “go for a walk”. After a competition, athletes use active recovery. There are a lot of stress hormones released during a race day and part of that active recovery is to flush away these hormones by increasing blood flow at a much lower intensity. I find being outside and away from screens is also a great way to reduce stress. If you are at a desk all day, it might be worth adding in a few intermittent strolls around the office every now and then, just to stop that stress from literally sitting there. You might even come back to your desk feeling mentally refreshed and be more productive in the long run!
The important thing to remember is that stress will come and go, and you have the capacity to feel all things. It’s about knowing how to bring out the best in yourself. There are many ways to manage stress, and you can find a way which works for you.
