Developing mental toughness through surfing

Resilience and confidence are often measured by a person’s mental toughness. An individual’s success in education, sports, and the workplace are reflective of their physical and mental strength. In any challenge or endeavor, a person’s mental preparation is as important as their physical training, sometimes even more.

Focus, resilience, confidence, and fear management do not come natural in an athlete. One must develop a strong mindset in order to succeed in the sport. It takes dedication and commitment to training and improvement so as to acquire qualities necessary for mental toughness. Maintaining an awareness of one’s current performance level, both mental and physically, allows them to know where they are at in the process. Successfully identifying the level determines a surfer’s next step towards improvement. Anouk Govil.

Goal setting requires strong decision-making and commitment as it trains a surfer to engage both the unconscious and conscious mind to make their goals more achievable. Breaking down objectives into mileposts and focusing on them one by one ensures success. Self-talk is practiced by many effective individuals in their respective fields. Quit negative self-talk and practice generating new emotions that would develop different actions which would influence one’s results. Anouk Govil.

Learn to breathe. This tip may seem simplistic, but breathing properly enables one to survive moments of panic and fear. Focusing on proper breathing consistently and consciously relaxes the mind and improves lung capacity. For a sport like surfing where danger lurks and uncertainty is at every turn, it’s crucial to stay calm and composed. A surfer’s mental toughness ensures their success and safety in the waves and in their life outside the sport. Anouk Govil.