This is sponsored content. M&F does not endorse the websites or products listed in this article.
However, does having “mental courage” mean the same thing as “mental toughness”, especially when it comes to physical fitness?
Mental toughness is the ability to stay focused on your goal and persevere despite the obstacles you face to achieve it, says Kellie K. Middleton, MD/MPH, orthopedic surgeon for Northside Hospital for Orthopedic Institute, in Atlanta, Georgia. “It’s about having the mental toughness to stay in control and stay engaged when the going gets tough. Mental toughness also involves recovering quickly from setbacks, identifying what went wrong, and working on solutions rather than feeling sorry for yourself. It’s about learning from failure and moving forward instead of stagnating.
Mental courage, on the other hand, is the sustained effort and tenacity used to stay on track toward achieving a specific goal, she says. “It involves staying focused despite difficulties, distractions and discouragements. Unlike mental toughness, which deals with an athlete’s response to a difficult situation, mental courage focuses more on the actions an athlete takes as they go through it.
“It’s easy to want to use synonymous terms, but ‘courage’ and ‘mental toughness’ are conceptually different, but related,” says Stephen P. Gonzalez, PhD, CMPC, the Corrigan Family Assistant Athletic Director for Leadership and Mental Performance at Dartmouth College. “Courage refers to passion and perseverance towards a goal, while mental toughness…can relate to a person’s ability to have the 4Cs: Commitment, Control, Confidence, and a spirit of defiance to withstand the factors stress or pressure.”
Here, mental health experts and professionals along with teenage athletes discuss how to master the mental aspects of competition while overcoming the physical challenges.
How to Master the Mental Aspects of Competition
Athletes need mental toughness to push physical, mental and emotional limits in training and competition, says Amy Saltzman MD Author: An Always Calm Place for Athletes: Mindfulness Skills for Peak Performance and Rhythm in Sport and Life. “That mental toughness must be balanced with a healthy adherence to those boundaries or athletes risk serious injury or mental health issues.”
Relying on mental toughness during a physical challenge, such as fatigue or some pain, can help the athlete overcome limiting thoughts and beliefs, such as “I can’t do this” or “I have already lost. This momentary mental strength needs to be balanced with rest and recovery, or it leads to injury, burnout, and mental health issues,” says Dr. Salzman. Mindfulness practice is an important practice for athletes, she says. “It can help them learn to be in tune with their body, heart and mind while learning to move beyond the Ordinary the pains of training and competition, while honoring the most ominous twinges and pinches to indicate serious injury or mental health issues. Knowing the difference is so important!
“Having a developed mental game allows an athlete to reach the limit that the brain and body experience in tough workouts and find a way to push it back,” Gonzalez says. “Whenever an athlete experiences fatigue or stress, the mind immediately begins with thoughts that are usually interrogative or counterproductive. Mental toughness will provide the balance and presence needed to recognize thoughts , stay calm, bend over and try to stay within that boundary to keep it from growing back.
Making decisions and sticking to them takes more than just a resolution, says coach and editor Tom Miller, CPT. “Our cultural ideal is resilience in the face of hardship. It is an “ideal” since not everyone can achieve it. Moreover, it is far too simple to consider resilience under duress as an innate trait. The majority of people handle some circumstances well but struggle with others. For example, the training of a decathlete cannot neglect any of these qualities and requires sufficient time to achieve success. Otherwise, they will succeed in the shot put but could fail in the javelin throw and the 1,500 meter run, he says. “Similarly, if you want to build mental muscle, you need to capitalize on your strengths and address your shortcomings,” Miller suggests.
Here’s How Teen Athletes Practice Mental Courage in Their Daily Lives
“I continually put myself in difficult and stressful situations, constantly developing both physically and mentally,” says Christopher Gielbeda, 17, senior, Glen Cove HS NY, wrestler. “I do this so that when I find myself in a difficult situation on the wrestling mat, I have the confidence, the courage and the mental toughness to know that I am the one with the competitive advantage and my opponent is outmatched. .”
“I know when I walk into the gym I may not be the fastest or the most athletic or the most talented, but the only thing I make knowing is that I will do my best to compete as best I can,” says Kate Jackson, 17, senior basketball player at Highland Park High School, Dallas, TX.
“Discipline is more important than motivation,” is a quote close to my heart,” says Chase Magrisi, 18, US Navy ROTC Midshipman, University of South Carolina. “Fitness is an important part of the Navy’s training program and includes three weekly group workouts in addition to scheduled runs and physical fitness tests that are tracked as part of the overall performance measurement. Practicing motivation with rewards can’t go any further.Those 5 a.m. report times come quickly after long hours in the library, so discipline is a key part of my mindset to stay fit. , complete our PT program and work towards high scores with the Navy and my education.
“Training for multi-sport pentathlon challenges me as I prepare for events, but I have to stay positive and keep moving forward when things don’t go as planned during competition,” says pentathlete Kira Bardin, 15 years, The Madeira School in McLean, Virginia, Pentathlon Multisport, U-17 National Champion for USA Pentathlon Multisport. “While it would be great to be in a leadership position for an entire event [which includes horse jumping, epee fencing, running, laser shooting, and swimming] the most exciting results were those where I had to persevere and come from behind to win. As they say in my equestrian events, “When you fall off your horse, the most important thing is to get back up as quickly as possible”. [Athletes] can’t wallow in fear of failure, we must harness the adrenaline to step up a gear. The feeling of victory after overcoming obstacles is unmatched!
This is sponsored content. M&F does not endorse the websites or products listed in this article.
