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An introduction to the pressure-free method |15 November 2019

As a mental coach I strongly believe in the power of Pressure Free Method by Elle Ingalls. She has shared her books with me, and I started practicing the technique myself for some time. It really works.

Dear friends in sports and the public in general let us explore the content of the article:

The Power of the Pressure-Free Method for Athletes

by Elle Ingalls, High Performance Coach.

 

As high-level performers, athletes are continually looking for ways to improve their performance. Mental toughness is one. And there is a great deal of concern today for the mental well-being of athletes.

Despite the increase in mental health professionals and programmes to help athletes with anxiety, and depression, many athletes still view seeking help for mental health as a negative stigma. What if we could turn the issue around, and view the improvement of athletic performance as the reason to learn emotional resilience, rather than wait for anxiety to push an athlete too far?

In 2010, I created The Pressure-Free Method to up-level people’s ability not just in sports but in any area of their lives, to perform by showing them how to stop triggering the fight-or-flight stress response. The 3-step method, Targets, Triggers, Tools, is easy to use, but because of the complexity of our habits of reactions, I created dozens of tools to help my clients find the ones that work best for them.

The two different floods of stress hormones have many side effects that cause under-performance that reduce physical ability, mental function and general health. Using this method has allowed the athletes I’ve coached to experience many different benefits. Here are just a few of them:

Better focus and memory.

Improved willpower.

Better mood

Better relationships with team members, coaches and competitors.

Improved coordination and muscle control.

Better digestion.

Improved bone and muscle growth.

Improved immune system.

Faster healing from injury and illness.

Mental wellness has a profound effect on the human body, and a direct effect on our ability to perform. Learning to control the release of the stress hormones produced by the adrenal glands is the fastest way to gain mental wellness.

I have selected three of Elle’s simple tools for you to experience with. Start practicing when you feel the trigger or stress out:

 

Tool 1: Long, slow, belly breath

Have you heard to take a long, slow breath to de-stress? Most people stop breathing naturally from their bellies around age 10 to 12. Starting in late primary school, children bring the aironly into their chests, never taking a full breath. If you have a baby or youngchild that is not under stress, watch how he/she breathes. The belly is relaxed andexpands gently. The chest hardly moves.

1. Place your hands on your belly and really let it relax.

2. Shift your hands to the sides of your lower ribs and take two long breathsexpanding wide and allowing your ribs to expand out.

3. Now turn your hands around and slide them to your back ribs. Withrelaxed belly, take in two breaths humping up your back like a turtle shell toopen your back ribs.

4. Now, bring your hands to the front, and press your palms together, thenlift your arms and set your thumbs on top of your head. Take two breathspushing your head up into your thumbs the whole time to lift your ribs up andaway from your hips.

Practicing these breaths will help your heart rate reduce when a triggerstrikes! You can use any of these breaths to help you in the moment.

 

Tool 2: Smile!

A smile triggers the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that your outercortex needs to function properly and that makes you feel good to helpinterrupt the stress response. If you are smiling, it is physiologically impossible to get upset. Even a little grin will help! If smiling is inappropriate, just stay neutral. Don’t let the corners of your mouth turn into a frown.

Smiling at others reduces their fears and anxiety. When it’s not appropriateto smile, I simply stay neutral and refrain from frowning.

 

Tool 3: Say your slogan.

 

Create a phrase that is easy for you to remember and empower you to stay up, above stress. Just do it! Stay UP! Let it go!

Whenever negative thoughts and chatter intrude, say your slogan to returnto a more powerful and productive state of mind. You can use slogans toreconnect with moments in your life when you felt remarkably successful orpowerful or calm or full of love and peace.

People who have stress and anxiety over long periods of time may experience negative related health outcomes. They are more likely to develop heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes. Athletic trainers need to be sure they help their athletes utilise the counselling centre, and other techniques to help limit their stress and anxiety.

To learn more about Elle’s Pressure-Free Method, go to ElleIngalls.com or find her on Youtube. For more ideas about how to control the release of the stress hormones produced by the adrenal glands, contact a certified Mental Coach, sport Psychologist and person with a background in psychology.

 

Maurice Denys

Certified Mental Coach (CMC)

S.N.H.S. Dip (Sports Psychology)

S.N.H.S. Dip (Life Coaching)

 

 

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