Gratitude
During this season of gratitude, we want to highlight the benefits and connection that feeling thankful can have in improving sports performance. Grounding athletes in gratitude is one of our favorite interventions to do with teams and can bring an athlete’s mindset and focus back to what is most important for them even during what might feel like a difficult day or season.
At its most basic, practicing gratitude can help a person to reorganize their mental focus. Gratitude has been shown to increase happiness as well as physical and mental health. Along with a more positive outlook, individuals who regularly practice gratitude often sleep better, express more compassion, report feeling more alive, and have stronger immune systems.
For an athlete, better sleep and a stronger immune system has obvious benefits. Additionally, there are specific ways that gratitude can be beneficial for an athlete:
Teams who express gratitude for each other often have a stronger bond.
Focusing on gratitude in the moment can help athletes stay present in their workout, match, or game. This emphasis on the present moment reduces worry about records, failure, and stress while increasing feelings of joy that often exist at the core of an athlete's motivation to practice and play their sport.
Our health is not a given. Being grateful for what our bodies can do is a good reminder that athletes are not robots and what they accomplish even on a less than good day is remarkable. Any athlete who has been injured also knows not to take their physical health and ability for granted.
Establishing a culture within a team or family around gratitude can help an athlete weave this mindset into their disposition which sets them up for a lifetime of appreciation for themselves, their bodies, and their teammates/coaches.
Here are some ways that you can cultivate a grateful mindset for yourself, your family, and your team:
Keep a gratitude journal- each day take a few moments to note what you are grateful for (& this doesn’t have to be sports specific!)
Challenge yourself to find 5 things that you’re grateful for within your practice or workout- challenge yourself to do this even on your most challenging days.
Write thank you notes to others.
Think about people who have inspired you and what about them was most significant.
Engage in "mental subtraction." Imagine what your life would be like if some positive event had not occurred.
Endūre has so much to be grateful for this season. We appreciate all of the coaches, players, and parents who have connected with us and who have trusted us to help them enhance their mental fitness. We’ve had athletes reach goals this fall that they never could have imagined before. We cannot wait for what 2024 will bring and are ready and eager to help you continue to strengthen your mental muscles in the new year.
