“I’m not feeling up to it today”

 “I’m not feeling up to it today”

What can you do when you aren’t feeling your best on competition day? - by Daniel Ferguson

Alice woke up on the morning of match day and wasn’t feeling up to the occasion. It was Sunday morning: her usual match day for the volleyball team. But this time she didn’t think she was going to perform well that day based on how she was feeling. She was feeling a little bit tired, mentally drained and much preferred the idea of a chill day in bed.

“I’m definitely not going to be at my best today.”
“I won’t be able to help my teammates out today.”

Alice said.



We can have days where we feel like Alice does in this case. The thing is, we aren’t always going to be at our best: within our “Optimal Zone”. Well known sports psychologist Dan Abrahams provides the concept that if an athlete is feeling a 4/10 on the day of competition, their aim is to reach a 5 or a 6/10. This is the idea that an athlete may not be able to play at their best, but on that day they can have a best possible performance. 

How can you have your best possible performance?

Trust your routine

Every athlete has a different routine which matches them as a person. Alice prefers to get up, have her bowl of Weetabix, brush her teeth and get her gear on and then listen to her favourite music. So in this case when she isn't feeling up to it, she can trust her routine to enhance her confidence, feel familiar to the feelings of match day and enable her to focus on achieving her "best possible performance": all benefits of routines and rituals.

Use Self-talk

What we say to ourselves is the most important thing. Some simple questions you can ask yourself when you aren't feeling up to it are:
  1. Will my "tomorrow self" thank me for getting up and competing today?
  2. What's the next step to getting myself up for it? [i.e, Alice can brush her teeth after having her Weetabix: simple steps, create larger movements]
Further, apply positive phrases to your self-talk:
  1. "I believe that I can do this today"
  2. "I will be the 'best possible' version of myself when competing"
  3. "Come on, let's do this, I've got this today"
Positive self-talk reduces neural activity in areas of the brain related to stress and threat [MentalHealth.com]. Brain scans have also showed positive self-talk to activate areas of the brain used for positive emotional regulation and reward processing [MentalHealth.com]


Speak to someone

Often simply getting the weight off your chest can make you feel better, sometimes we don't need solutions, we just need someone. Talk to someone who's part of your support system, be it a coach you trust, a close friend or a parent. This could do the trick.

I hope these tips can help you be your "best possible" self on days where you aren't necessarily feeling up to it. They happen, things happen: focus on being the best you, you can be that day, keep things simple. 



Find Daniel Ferguson on:
LinkedIn: Daniel Ferguson
Instagram: @danferguson_sp
Twitter: @DanFergusonSP




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