Mental Performance Training to Prepare for Transitions

How to Deal with New Situations

Transitions in life are important and may be exciting. On the other hand, they can make you nervous and that will affect your performance. These transitions could be trying out for a new team, starting high school sports, starting college while being a student-athlete, meeting a new group of people, and even more. So how can you prepare for these transitions and how does mental performance/mindset play a role?

Four Mental Performance Training Steps to Ease Transitions

Step One:

WHAT YOU ARE FEELING IS RIGHT. It would be easy to say, “well any transition is going to have nerves” or “you are going to be angry with this one.” The truth is the only emotion you will have is the one you have. We can try to predict but only you know what you are feeling and any of those feelings are right for you.

Step Two:

BE YOU. There is only one you and you are pretty awesome, so make sure to bring that you to this new adventure. Trying out for a new team, they don’t need another version of someone else on the team, they need what you will bring. Starting college? Well now you have a whole new group of people you are meeting (fellow students, teammates, professors, etc). Moreover, this is a chance for you to bring a new energy, new talent, and new person to the team and school. You were accepted for a reason, they want you!

Step Three:

PREPARE, PREPARE, PREPARE! Most transitions, and the ones discussed in this blog, are all transitions that you know are coming. This means you have time to prepare physically, mentally, and emotionally. You can do research if there are any changes you need to make, you can reconnect with yourself to bring the best you there is to this new part of life, and you can accept and handle any emotions that you may have. There is no one, right way to handle a transition but being prepared will help it be a smoother one.

Step Four:

Finally, BE PREPARED TO NOT BE PREPARED. Yes, you can prepare all you want and that will hopefully lead to a smooth transition but this doesn’t mean everything is going to go to plan or that something new won’t happen. Therefore, knowing that will happen, you will have tools in place to deal with it. Maybe you aren’t starting like you thought you would, what steps can you take and how can you still be a good teammate? Classes and practices are harder than you thought, what steps can you take to ease the stress without dropping classes or quitting the team?*

*We are not suggesting quitting your team but rather asking for help to ease the load (whether that is help for class, talking to a professional, or working on time management)

Content Created by Kathryn Colby, M.Ed.