by: April Clay
Question:
I seem to have trouble getting my mind to calm down. I find there are just so many things to think about when I ride. I worry about something going wrong and lose my focus, or I concentrate on one thing and then something else goes wrong.
I can’t seem to get my mind under control, help!
Answer:
Ah, the unruly mind. It’s a familiar affliction to many athletes and other folks as well. If you have this syndrome, one of two things may be happening.
The first is you may have a proclivity towards worry. You figure the more you account for ahead of time, the more trouble you can avoid.
So if you think in “what if” terms. That is, “What if … I fall off, lose my stirrup, miss the first distance, over-correct, forget my course, lose my pace, etc.” your mind can whirl around in this space for what seems like days.
Your anxiety level goes up, and sure, maybe you do avoid a few mishaps, but at what cost? Usually, you end up missing attending to important cues in the here and now, and instead stay focused on a future that seems very unfortunate.
The second thing that may be occurring is you are trying to track too many things with your mind at one time. In horse sport, one of the challenges is that you have many, many variables to attend to. There is your horse, your position, and the goal you are trying to reach, just to name a few.
If you try to keep your focus on too many elements, the result is usually confusion, not to mention the ever-increasing feeling that things are slipping out of your control. In the end, you may end up with your attention more on your judgments about what you are or are not doing instead of what is happening to you in the moment.
So. first things first, do a check on your thinking and see if you are engaging in “what if” type thinking. The problem of course is that “what if” lists are infinite. They are a never-ending story of tragedy.
When you become proficient enough in your awareness to catch this spiral, it can be helpful to be ready with a cue to bring you back to the present. The phrase “what is” can be a handy reminder. This directs your focus back to what is happening in the here and now.
Experiment with different words phrases that can become your prompt to get back to the conversation with your horse.
Another type of cue you can condition yourself to use involves using your senses. Being in the now means you are reading what is coming in through your five senses of taste, touch, hearing, smell, and sight. You can direct your attention to one of these information processors, and it can help bring your focus back to where it needs to be.
You may be wondering, is there ever a time when worry is helpful? Is there such a thing as good worry? Well, yes.
If thoughts about what may go wrong alert you to initiate a problem solving plan. More often, however, what we consider worry is just rumination on negative possibilities. So get used to asking yourself, “How soon are my thoughts about this situation translating to action?”
Secondly, do a check on your points of focus. How many are there? Are you trying vainly to control every aspect of your ride? To do so is an impossible task, especially if you are a beginner rider.
When you’re a beginner rider, you need to name the object of your focus (position, pace) while you are learning and allow some other things to just be what they are. As you learn, certain elements will become automatic and allow you to attend to different aspects of your ride.
Even for an experienced rider who has many of these elements in their automatic repertoire, a clear focus is important. Experienced riders are also more adept at “switching” their attention to different things. For example, they may attend to their pace until it is established, then switch to the path of their ride or the application of an aid.
Whatever your riding experience, train yourself to name your focus by using key words like “pace,” “position,” or “track.”
In this way, you will ensure your mind is clear on the action it is trying to create, thereby eliminating the tendency to become scattered and overwhelmed.
Chartered psychologist April Clay is a former A Circuit rider and a member of the Canadian Mental Training Registry. She performs seminars and consultations in equine sports psychology including: Individuals or groups, On the ground or mounted, Email consultations. The perfect topic for your next association meeting! To find out more, call (403) 714-2529, email: april@bodymindmotion.com or visit www.bodymindmotion.com
