When I first started taking on athletics professionally, I never really understood the power of mental preparation. I had good days and bad days, just like everyone, but I just shook it off and told myself, “There’s nothing wrong with you, get on with it. You’ll be alright”.
But what I didn’t understand was how much mental preparation could help me control my nerves, as well as provide a solution to deal with the pressure and expectations.
Mental preparation is a source of strength
I think of good mental preparation as a way to tap into your own inner strength. No one is born with this; it comes with experience and exposure to high-pressure situations.
In 2015, I had two major operations, and I was feeling doubtful about my physical performance. I saw a psychologist who had worked with many international sports teams, and he told me one thing that stuck: I had to learn to be comfortable with being uncomfortable.
I realised I couldn’t keep brushing it off whenever I had a bad day – whether I was at the gym, at training, or at an event. I couldn’t let any pressure or life circumstances affect my performance. To stay on top of my game, I had to learn to deal with myself first.
The benefits of good mental preparation
I can feel the difference when I’ve had a chance to prepare for the day, and when I haven’t. Preparing ahead of time frees space in your mind to help you achieve your goals and tackle the tough objectives you’ve planned out for the day.
When I prepare, I’m less stressed, and feel more confident. When I don’t prepare, I’m all over the place. And if that happens I can find myself losing control over situations I otherwise might not have.
How I focus for the day ahead
I learned a little trick from my chiropractor on how to sharpen my focus. He called it ‘the circle of life’. I picked it up in 2012 and have been using this daily since then – it’s a drawing I usually do in my diary. It’s an incredibly useful tool to focus on the task ahead and drown out the noise.
The drawing consists of two concentric circles, just like a donut. In the middle circle, I list the things that are most important to me. In the lead-up to the Tokyo Games, I’d put down training, my coach’s name, food and rest – that was all I needed to focus on. If I trained, ate and rested well, I knew I’d perform well for the day. I’d list all my other thoughts in the outer circle: my kids and husband, my manager, sponsors, my family, etcetera.
Sometimes, it can be difficult to prioritise my thoughts and goals for the day. When I first started using this tool, I wanted to put everyone and everything into the middle circle. But over time, I realised I didn’t have enough Valerie to give. If I wanted to win a gold medal, I needed to be honest with myself and disciplined enough to boil down what I really needed to achieve each day.
The best part about this little tool is that you can use it in any scenario – it's saved me countless times when life has started to get hectic. It’s a great technique to compartmentalise all your thoughts and emotions. You're not sweeping them under the rug, you’re acknowledging they’re part of your life, but you can deal with them at different times.
Mental preparation helps you complete your goals
Mental preparation goes hand in hand with achieving your goals. Every single item you list in ‘the middle of the circle of life’ is an important step towards completing that goal for the day. If you don’t fulfil these steps, you often won’t hit your target.
Sometimes, it can be challenging to complete every single item in your inner circle – that's where mental training, repetition and practice comes in. You might have to step outside your comfort zone to reach some goals, and don’t be afraid to ask for support. Be honest with yourself and what you can achieve, and eventually you’ll reach greater heights.
And most importantly, start today. It can be easy to put off mental preparation, but once you experience its benefits, you’ll wish you’d have done it sooner.
