*This is from an Instagram caption posting about the 2022 Fort Lauderdale AVP.
14-13. Game 3 in humid heat, the pressure is on. I have a perfect pass and set to side out to win the match. I hit it out of bounds and end up losing the match.
Pressure is such a cool part of playing sports. There are so many different ways it can come at you and learning to deal with it are lessons I hope I never forget.
Lots of other phenomena in life come at you slowly and take time to build up before the pressure really gets to you. Trials for lawyers, interviews for jobs, quarterly meetings, that final presentation, etc. But in sports, you get that frequently, and in high doses. Especially when you fly halfway across the world for potentially only one match (AKA single elimination).
It literally can feel like the pressure is pushing you to implode; you have to find a way to push back and find some kind of stable equilibrium, or push it away altogether (i.e. what some may call playing free).
There’s different approaches I’ve seen, like really honing in on your 5 senses, repeating the mantra “Be here now,” trying to access a kind of trust/confidence built up from all the training work you put in behind the scenes, being grateful for what you are currently doing, or keeping positive body language.
Ultimately, I feel like you are looking for something unshakeable and rock solid to mentally/spiritually stand on, that never fails or changes. In some ways I wish that were me but it’s just not. But I know I can stand on God and His promises in the Bible. Timeless truths that cannot break or bend. So I try to focus on some of those…
Proverbs 19:21
Job 42:2
Luke 22:42
James 4:15
Matthew 17:20