8 Ways To Stay Focused And Bounce Back During A Slump
We’ve all had that team or athlete who completely nosedives after an exceptional start. Why does it happen, and how do we get them out of their slump? Whether you’re playing baseball or golf, or if you work in an office all day, sometimes your output slows down.
Lack of motivation creeps in, the quality of your performance declines, and this can have a domino effect that lasts for days. It doesn’t do you any good to get stuck in this rut. There’s no question that staying focused and motivated during a slump is one of the hardest things to do. If you’re reading this article, I’m sure that you would agree. As an athlete once in a slump, you’ll feel like there’s nothing you can do to get yourself out of this funk.
Here are 8 ways to help your athlete pull themselves out of a slump and get refocused.
1. Take a rest day
Getting focused and bouncing back after a slump is hard for a lot of us. Stress has a way of pulling everything else out of our lives and making life miserable. The best way to combat this is taking a rest day to regroup and refocus. When you take a day off, you can recharge your batteries, breath deeper, and de-stress because slowing down naturally allows your mind to rest and your body to catch up and relax as well.
2. Read a book
Books have the power to inspire, motivate and sometimes just dull us out of our funk. In fact, when you really think about it, reading can be one of the most effective methods of overcoming depression. More than likely, this is because good books provide us with key concepts and stories that help us endure the tough times and get back on track.
3. Set daily goals
We all get into slumps. It’s hard not to focus on pressure instead of what you want to do. When you are in a slump, you have to push yourself more than usual in order to achieve your goals. The best way to do this is to start your habit-building routine again and remember that everything will fall into place if you keep it up by setting daily goals and keeping track of it.
4. Track your progress
Using goals to track your progress is an important skill because it allows you to stay focused on the big picture. By tracking your goals, you can easily break them down into daily, weekly or monthly tasks that you can accomplish. Then you can create systems to increase your chances of success. The progress you make towards a successful set of small wins, will eventually compound and grow into a lifestyle of victories. When you take the same approach to breaking through a difficult stint, you’ll overcome the issues quicker.
5. Change up your routine
You know that feeling of being stuck? Like you can’t seem to move, like your life is standing still and nothing seems to matter anymore. Athletes are always in slump mode because they sometimes last longer than usual. But when we do new things, break from our boring routine by doing something different then all those same day to day activities–we give ourselves a chance at experiencing some fresh excitement which may just spark up a whole lot more energy to do more things.
6. Go for lengthy walks
Sports psychologist Dr. Michael G. Adams says, “Going for walk will help you recover your energy and focus.” How? By clearing your mind of all distracting thoughts and making it a more pleasant place to be. It will be easier for you to perform well even if your workout does not feel like it’s making progress. Going for walks releases endorphins – natural chemical messengers that are released during exercise that give us a punch of well-being. During a slump, these chemicals can make things worse and you might be more inclined to quit than take advantage of the situation. Stay focused by making your walk brief but enjoyable. The key is to keep walking despite not wanting to.
7. Do a service project
You need a good mental reset to shake off that slump. Sometimes the best thing to do is do something for somebody else. So head out and do a service project! You can serve other people instead of focusing on your bad situation. When athletes are in slumps, they need to shift their focus off of their lack of performance and do something different, kind, and/or meaningful for someone else. You’ll be surprised how great you’ll feel after and then realize a big burden lifted off your shoulders.
8. Engage in a creative activity
Focus on doing a creative activity, like drawing, coloring, making music, dancing, picking up a new hobby, writing, or things that will bring out the creativity in you. Everyone has a creative component to their personality, and when we tap into it, our mind is opened to a world of possibilities. Your perspective changes and the way you view slumps and difficult times will slightly shift because of your newfound view of the world.
Regroup, Refocus, Relaunch
It’s easy to get down on yourself when you find yourself in a slump, but the best thing to do is focus on what went right. You might be able to pinpoint something that triggered your current state of mind and take steps to avoid it next time. Or maybe you were overconfident before and need to build up more self-esteem again by practicing some humility exercises with friends or strangers.
Whatever the case may be, don’t give up! Stay focused and motivated during a slump by thinking about all the positive things happening in life. We want this for everyone reading – so if you know someone who needs an extra boost today, share our blog post!
