Pregame To Listen To Before Competitive Game

This one was inspired specifically for someone who competes and can get stuck and overwhelmed during a competitive sport or game. This is meant to be listened to days or moments before the competition.
Before practicing any physical or breathing exercise, please consult your physician if you have any medical concerns or conditions. This is a gentle meditation practice for relaxation, not therapy, and not medical advice. If you need emotional, mental, or relationship support, please consult your therapist or mental health professional.
Thank you so much for listening!

Transcript

Before you compete. Just take a moment before your competition and get mentally prepared. Come back to yourself for a second. I know there's a lot going on around you right now. There's pressure, People watching, Maybe other people competing at the same time, And all the scores and expectations, All of it. So just right now, None of that needs your attention. Take a breath in. And exhale out. Keep both feet on the ground. And just close your eyes, Practicing. Bringing back your attention to be centered. Breathing in and breathing out. Remember something that you belong right here. You put in the time, You've practiced, You've researched and studied. You've worked so hard to get to this point. And you've earned the right to be here just like everybody else. You don't have to prove that to anybody. You certainly don't need to be perfect. I know how easy it is to start thinking about what could go wrong and where your mind can take you to all sorts of places or to replay something that didn't go the way that you wanted. So just remember, Those moments are over. Just move forward. Focus on right now in the moment. You can learn, You can grow, You can move forward. Just keep returning to your breath and keep going forward even when you feel like you get tired. Stopped or paralyzed. You can relax your shoulders a little bit. You can maybe unclench your jaw. You can loosen your grip. Just remember to keep both feet on the ground. Let your body remember what it already knows how to do. You don't have to think through every little moment. You've practiced those things so many times. Just trust your training. Trust your instincts. Trust yourself. And it's okay to feel nervous. Remember that being nervous doesn't mean you're not ready. It just means that this really matters to you. You can feel nervous and still perform beautifully. You can feel pressure and still make good decisions. If you make a mistake, It's okay, Just keep going. This one moment doesn't define you and neither does a scoreboard. What matters is how you show up for the next moment. So instead of thinking about winning the whole tournament, Just focus on this moment. Focus on what's right in front of you. One point, One play, One decision at a time, That's all. And I want you to remember to actually enjoy this too. Somewhere along the way, This is something that you really wanted to do. You got excited about, You fell in love with it. Something that challenged you and made you want to get even better. So don't let the pressure take all the fun out of it. You get to be here and you get to challenge yourself. You get to see what you're capable of. So no matter what happens out there, I want you to be proud of yourself and the way that you show up. Not because everything goes perfectly. But because you stayed with yourself, Even when things get difficult, You keep going, You keep moving forward. So take a breath in and exhale out. Now you're ready and lift your head, Relax your shoulders, Feel your feet on the ground. You've got this. You don't need to do anything extraordinary right now. Just be present. Play your game, Enjoy it, And trust yourself.