Are you operating out of fear and guilt?
Are you operating out of fear and guilt?
Are you operating out of fear and guilt?
Fear and Guilt are your only enemies, if you let go of fear, fear lets go of you. if you release guilt, guilt will release you. How do you do that? By deciding to – Neale Donald Walsch
Sounds simple right? In reality it’s not so easy, a lot of these ways of thinking are programmed in to our subconscious, so it might take some work to make new pathways. (ways of thinking)
We also get attached to these ways of thinking even though they may be harming us, we perceive them to be part of who we are, so don’t want to let go.
Many athletes train from a place of fear and/or guilt, this might work in the short term, but in the long term, and for your mental health, getting out of these patterns of thinking will lead to better outcomes, not just in training, but in life too.
We can apply what we learn through training into life to help us grow and be our best selves.
If any of the thoughts below sound familiar to you, then you might want to take a look at your motivations and change some habits.
Fear based statements
“If I don’t train “X” number of hours I won’t be able to finish my race”
“If I take time off, I will lose all of my fitness”
If I acknowledge this injury, I won’t be able to train”
Guilt based statements
“I missed a few sessions, so I need to do more training to make up for it”
“I ate too much yesterday, so I will under-fuel or over exercise today to make up for it”
“ I feel bad about training, I should be doing something else”
Coming from place of fear and guilt does not lead to better outcomes, it affects your performance, can lead to bad decisions, and takes up headspace.
A lot of these feelings are subconscious patterns of thinking that are programmed in.
To steer ourselves away from these ways of thinking it’s important to recognise the scripts that we use.
Have you noticed a pattern in the way you respond to a certain situation? Eg missing a session.
What words come up for you?
What do you usually do in that situation?
Are you attached to that way of thinking?
Would you be able to let go of something that does not serve you?
Give yourself space and time to think about this, then act with compassion, and forgiveness towards yourself.
It sometimes helps to think about the worst case scenario, it can seem so ridiculous that you can let go of the fear.
If you find yourself using the words “I should” or “I could have” it generally means you are looking at things from a place of fear or guilt.
Can you reframe the situation, by using a different script?
eg “By taking time to get over this illness/injury I am helping myself recover well so I can do good quality training when I feel good”
“By taking time out to train I am investing in myself so that I can be the best version of myself”
Coming from a place of gratitude, changes the way you approach training, and will lead to better outcomes throughout your life, not just triathlon.
Have you found a pattern of behaviour while training?
Have you managed to change your narrative?
We talk about these subjects in our topic of the month in group coaching, if you want to find out more about my coaching packages click here
