How EQ Can Help Us Thrive as Athletes

Original article posted on www.colombocycles.wordpress.com by Ridmi Dewage on the 10th of September, 2020.

Focus of mind is key to attuning many aspects in life; whether it is to channel profound values or perceive our surrounding, honing mental focus is an important skill to acquire to live life at its best form. For years mindfulness have been practiced through history religiously, and now in real life by many professionals to improve mental standards to end barriers we presume were impossible.

After years of evolution of mankind, our brains have evolved to encompass an intellectual edge to strategically respond to primitive emotions without giving into our innate survival mechanisms. This is how we learn from situations & plan well ahead to gain what we want to achieve in life.

It’s crucial to understand how our mind & body are connected with one another and ways our emotions directly interfere with them to become how we express & behave ourselves.

For performance athletes being aware of one’s self come into play as an acquired skill to perform better. It’s essential for strategic planning, to understand physical limits and also to fathom out how emotions can stimulate brain to isolate positive mental boosts required in win or lose situations.

As cyclists & athletes to ensure long-term survival & achievements, it’s important to learn self-regulation, self-awareness & emotional resilience to deflect momentous impulses. Thus comes the need for mastering emotional navigation in vital situations. Specially performing in endurance conditions to strategize power distribution to heft psychological stability until the end. Possessing a higher EQ allows us to become better at recognizing our emotions as they happen and also heed it in others, which makes it easier to navigate those emotions to harness enhanced motivation.

Being present in the moment & identifying inside as well as outside of ourselves help execute actions easily. Becoming aware of what we can do demarcates a point we then can use to boost physical performance, internal motivation & encouragement we need to take the next step forward.

It’s all about how well we manage our emotions to put ourselves in a optimum mental state for achievement. It goes without saying, these skills can be easily adapted to our day to day lives to spend a conscious state of living in the field, at work and at home. It may sound easy when you think of it, but actual work you need to put in to make use of EQ takes years of practice & resilience to avail prolific outcome from it.

Tell us what you know about EQ and how it has changed your cycling experience: write to [email protected].