Athletes and their different ways to manage stress!

Do Athletes have any stress? Why not, after all they are playing for the nation and they do not want to disappoint the nation.

It was surprising to learn that different athletes have their own ways of dealing with stress. Let’s have a look how they manage:

P V Sindhu: P V Sindhu gives prime importance to “Meditation” in her life. She says there was an immense clarity about what was going in her mind and her heart after she started practicing meditation. She emphasized that she felt a real change in her life and hence, she recommends meditation to one and all on a daily basis.

Manu Bhaker: Manu Bhaker too emphasized in one of her interviews about practicing “Meditation” before she goes off to sleep. This helps her get a sound sleep which helps improve her focus. She also practices “Yoga” as a stress management therapy.

Surprisingly, she has a strong religious belief about the “Shlokas in Bhagavad Gita”. She reads 2 shlokas every night before sleeping which brings much more clarity in her mind.

She also likes to “Paint” to reduce her stress.

Virat Kohli: Virat Kohli mentioned once “I felt lonely in a room surrounded by 13 people”. We can understand the stress he must be going through at that time. So, what did he do? He says “It is important to rest and recover from the pressure of sport and reconnect with one’s core self because losing that connection might crumble many other things around. So “Rest to Recover” is his key to stress buster.

Saina Nehwal: Saina Nehwal has a different approach. She says, in a situation where you do not win sometimes and you are stressed, take time to release your emotions and stress maybe by “crying”. But then, after some time go back to your practice because this is what other players are doing.

Athletes like Muhammad Ali, Kobe Bryant and Floyd Mayweather choose dance as a form of stress-busters

So, from meditation to yoga, from crying out to listening to Bhagavad Gita and from rest to dance are several therapies that work for our athletes for improving their mental health.

What is your stress buster?

You can try any of these methods and see what works for your body, mind and soul. You can always have your own ways of handling stress.

Source:- 1. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/mindfulness-meditation-may-ease-anxiety-mental-stress-201401086967 

                 2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4142584/