When the stakes are high even the best can lose their nerve – When the going gets tough the tough can crack under pressure
It’s not just the England football team who are champion chokers we’ve seen numerous elite sporting teams and individuals display mental resilience over the summer so far with much to come with the Ashes and Open Golf. Andy Murray being the most recent example of displaying not just physical but also mental toughness in winning this years Wimbledon Championship
With Andy Murray in the Wimbledon final how many times did you hear the commentators refer to each player either displaying or needing to show mental resilience, strength of character etc under extreme pressure. What is it that allows someone like Andy Murray to serve on match point down and display no nerves and serve an ace. What sets him apart and makes the difference between becoming multiple grand slam champion and a nearly man. The same principle applies to golf. What enables one player to stand on the 18th green and sink that 6ft putt to win the championship when the majority of others fail under pressure on the run in.
While we see pressure and the need for resilience regularly with sporting events it is by no means confined to sport. It can be seen and experienced in our personal and professional lives as well. Choking happens to everyone from time to time.
Fortunately the science behind mental toughness has come of age over recent years and the good news is there are psychological ways to overcome it’s affects
How do you avoid choking? Well according to performance psychologists learn to take the pressure off and you will be less likely to seize conscious control of an unconscious skill. Put the situation in context. Big sales pitch tomorrow! Well it’s not exactly life or death is it.
To learn more about mental resilience in a business context and understanding how you cope under pressure and seeking to improve performance in the workplace when dealing with the stressors and pressures then read on for more about mental toughness programmes.
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