Have you ever shown up to the courts with way more on your mind other than your match? I sure have… and I can honestly say that none of those matches went as well as I had hoped, even those I eventually won.
Stress is something that all of us have experienced at one time or another, and its effects can be felt in many areas of our lives. If you’ve been feeling frazzled by all that you’ve got going on, give these tips a try and enjoy life with less stress.
Stay in the present moment.
So many of us waste valuable mental and emotional energy regretting past mistakes (like, double faulting to lose yesterday’s match) or worrying about those we might make in the future (double faulting in next week’s match?) Anytime your imagination starts to drift backward or forward in time like that, try to catch it quickly and remind yourself to stay in the “now.”
You can’t change the past and you can’t predict the future, so it’s better to concentrate all of your energy and effort on making the best of the present moment. If you make a habit of doing this, you can leverage your actions in the present moment to build a more positive future.
Reduce your commitments.
Overcommitting yourself is one of the easiest ways to slip into a world of stress before you even know it. Yes, it would be nice to volunteer at the XYZ organization while also being on the board of the local Chamber of Commerce while also being “Den Mother” and tutoring your neighbor’s kid part-time (all in addition to working a full-time job), but at some point you’re going to run out of hours in the day to fulfill all of your commitments.
If your calendar is always jam-packed with conference calls, meetings, appointments, and to-dos, it’s only a matter of time before you become completely stressed out. You must decide what are the things you want to do and what are those you need to do. This might mean saying “no” more often, and possibly disappointing a few people, or maybe asking for assistance until you get caught up, but it can do wonders for lowering your stress levels.
Get more sleep.
Countless studies have shown a strong link between sleep deprivation and increased stress levels. When you’re not getting enough sleep at night, you can feel sluggish, irritable and absent-minded during the day, and this can really put a damper on your productivity, both on and off the court. Try to get at least seven to eight hours of shut-eye every night, and see how much of a difference it will make in how you feel and perform at both work and play.
Get organized.
Let’s face it…for many of us, our lives would be a lot less stressful if we would just get a little more organized. If you’re the kind of person who lets chaos be their interior designer, chronically loses their car keys, misses important appointments or can’t find an important personal document if your life depended on it, you might want to think about how you can add some more structure to your life.
You can do this by cleaning up as you go along, creating files, keeping a calendar, always putting your car keys in the same spot every day, etc. Start decluttering your life and get more organized, and watch your stress levels drop as a result.
It’s virtually impossible to live a 100 percent stress-free life, but that doesn’t mean that you have to live with a debilitating amount of stress either. Put the above tips into practice so you can stress less and enjoy life more, both on and off the courts!