Feb. 6, 2024
Destroy Mental Blocks and Boost Performance with Ashley Eckermann, Sports Psych Expert, EP 247
Unlock the secrets to mastering your mental game with sports psychology expert Ashley Eckermann, our guiding light through the mental mazes we often find ourselves in. Ashley unravels how mental blocks, far from being sheer acts of willpower, are instead physiological responses to stress that can throw off even the most skilled performers. Together, we delve into the root causes—fear, anxiety, and the stress response in the brain—that result in these daunting obstacles. Armed with Ashley's insights, we illuminate how athletes can overcome the mental hurdles that stand between them and their peak performance, revolutionizing the way they approach their sport.
Ashley's expertise doesn't just transform athletes; her strategies hold power to change lives. She offers sage advice on how to shift focus from potential pitfalls to executing with precision, leveraging techniques such as breathing exercises and neuroplasticity to rewire the brain for success. But it doesn't stop with sports; these tactics are a game-changer for anyone looking to enhance decision-making and emotional management in their professional and personal life. By learning to make decisions without the cloud of emotions, we gain clarity and confidence that guide us toward our goals with steadfast resolve.
As we bid farewell to Ashley, our Champions Mojo community is left with a wealth of actionable tips and a renewed sense of empowerment. From the importance of celebrating small victories and embracing self-compassion to the power of support systems and the joy found in the journey of growth, this episode is a testament to the profound impact of mindset on performance. We conclude with a reminder that consistent, incremental steps can lead to monumental transformations, in sports and beyond. Join us on this inspiring voyage, where each stride we take brings us closer to becoming champions in every aspect of our lives.
Email us at HELLO@ChampionsMojo.com. Opinions discussed are not medical advice, please seek a medical professional for your own health concerns.
Chapters
00:01 - Demystifying Mental Blocks in Athletics
13:09 - Overcoming Performance Anxiety and Self-Limiting Beliefs
20:45 - Improving Decision-Making and Overcoming Negative Thinking
26:34 - Making Decisions Without Emotion
30:22 - Overcoming Anxiety and Fear of Disappointment
38:19 - Grace and Support for Personal Growth
43:13 - Mindset Change and Decision Making Tips
48:55 - Champions Mojo Podcast Review and Contact
Transcript
WEBVTT
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Welcome to the award-winning Champions Mojo hosted by two world record-holding athletes.
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Be inspired as you listen to conversations with champions and now your hosts, kelly Palace and Maria Parker.
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Hello friends, Welcome to the Champions Mojo podcast, the podcast where we talk about things that are interesting, inspirational and important to master swimmers.
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I'm your host, Kelly Palace, and, as usual, I am co-hosting with Maria Parker.
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Hey, Maria.
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Kelly, good to be with you today.
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Great to see you, maria.
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I'm so excited about today's show because we are going to demystify mental blocks, and this is for professional growth or athletic growth, personal.
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We're going to really break this down.
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We're going to break free from limitations.
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We're investigating common mental obstacles that hinder our growth, techniques to release tension and how to make better decisions and overcome the fear of disappointment.
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And we are going to do this with an expert joining us today as our guest is Ashley Ekerman, who is a sports psychology practitioner and founder of Maximize the Mind Mental Performance Coaching in Cypress, texas.
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She teaches athletes and performers of all ability levels how to thrive under pressure.
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She has developed tools to help overthinkers gain confidence, let go of mistakes quicker and conquer overwhelm.
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Ashley has a bachelor's degree in psychology and a master's degree in sports psychology, so she knows what she's talking about.
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Maria, what else can you tell us about Ashley?
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During Ashley's career she's coached all Americans state champions, olympians, professionals and received Coach of the Year awards.
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As a multiple-time Iron man finisher, she truly appreciates the role mental toughness plays and continuously strives to inspire and engage others to maximize our mindsets, because mental skills training is life-changing.
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Actually, welcome to Champions Mojo.
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Hi you guys, Thanks for having me.
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We're so delighted.
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Yes, and so we talked a little bit about this before we even started recording.
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What a perfect fit for what you do and Maria and I and our listeners and we didn't even talk about this part of it but Champions Mojo when we came out five years ago, our original tagline was Champions Mojo for mindset, and so obviously, mindset plays a huge role in everything we do.
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But it's just, it's really cool that we love this topic.
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We talk about it often.
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It is the Mojo that makes a difference in the Olympians.
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We've talked to the Olympic coaches, the people that have lost 125 pounds, the Iron man people, so it's really exciting.
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And let's just kick off.
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What is a mental block, ashley?
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Yeah, I'll use the word that you guys used in the title.
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I'm going to demystify, because there's so much crap out there.
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There's so much, I think, just myths and misinformation and whatever.
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So I'm going to give you the nerdy, scientific like definition and then we're going to like middle talk.
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Okay, so mental blocks are like this physiological barrier that inhibits people's ability to previously do things that were easy or effortless or automatic.
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So we have skills and we're like oh yeah, I know how to do that, I can do that in my sleep, and a block is actually something that disrupts motor skills.
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So a lot of coaches and there's this one they just don't know the research will say whatever you want it or just go for it or just dig deeper that typical motivation cue, and it's actually cognitive.
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So at the core, middle block service fear of what the outcome could be, and then it's fear activates the brain's stress response.
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So then you're more anxious and when you're more anxious it totally messes up your muscle coordination, it messes up your muscle memory patterns and then all the things that you thought you could do, you've now become ridiculous and don't know how to do them.
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So, like, from that neurological perspective, they're just linked to the brain wiring too fast.
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It's like this over biochemical response.
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It's like this over activity in your prefrontal cortex and I know that's fancy for most people they don't talk about that.
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It's just the brain of its decisions, and so it almost paralyzes it.
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You've heard people use the phrase like paralysis by analysis or something like that.
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That's kind of what happens, and so it's not that they don't want to do the skill that they know how to do.
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It's not that they don't want to get better.
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It's just almost like it's buried, and so athletes will often come to me and they'll say I forgot how to do this.
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I'm, like you didn't forget, you just think you forgot, and really it's just not on the surface level anymore and something that I think is really important to correct.
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Parallels are definitely caused from a psychological perspective, but also physiological, so it's not just, oh, I didn't feel like it or I freaked myself out or I got scared.
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There is something that happens in the body that paralyzes us and makes us freeze.
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But I will tell you that the majority of people think they had metal blocks, when they don't only have a metal block, and a lot of athletes will come to me and I work with athletes in my office and I work with inversely all over the world and they'll say, oh, I have this block and so I'll give them a chance, like, how many of what's happening for you?
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Or tell me what's going on that you would say that.
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But in my experience, the people that have a trumental block are golfers, baseball players, softball players, gymnasts, true leaders, and they physically can't tap into their talent.
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So they know how to do a skill, but their motor functioning is actually blocked and they can't physically do what they used to go to do on autopilot.
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I know your audience is typically triathletes and cyclists and swimmers, but I'm going to tell you a lot of people are kids that are in other sports and so I'm always like they might really have a metal block.
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And you know those are from watching someone get hurt or being yelled at and being totally embarrassed, or an injury or a fall or something like that.
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But when we talk about people that say I have a block and I said it mostly wouldn't really.
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So a swimmer that comes with me or a triathlete, tennis player, soccer player, so just other typical sports, they'll say, well, I haven't got a block.
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And really it's usually like a steer that's based on something that they hadn't done before.
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So they feel like they can't and, yes, they are physically like I can't do it, they are pulling themselves back from achieving it.
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But it's not a motor skill barrier.
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That's when it's a middle barrier.
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And it's middle because it's so easy to say I haven't got a block, because then maybe it's not my fault, maybe that's not what's wrong, because you know we don't like to do the problem, but in reality you're the problem, you're also the solution.
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So I just tell people that's like something that we don't realize.
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Most of the time it's fear and not a true physical block.
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Marie and I picked this topic and we know swimmers.
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So definitely the sports you named golf my husband's a golfer and baseball players and those people softball players and gymnasts, like you said.
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But in swimming I think that a swimmer can have a it's not a fear.
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But the middle block can be I don't think I can ever swim that time, or I don't think I could ever make the Olympic team, or I don't think I could ever be that fast or maybe even as simple, as I don't think I could ever do a flip turn, even though I think anybody can do a flip turn.
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So if it's not a fear, I think people like stories, and so Zina and I Zina's one of our master swimmers.
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This morning we were talking about her goals for this next age group and we were looking at records that she could break and she looked at the times and it just so happens that the woman that holds the local Florida records, the zone records, and is also the world record holder, just happens to be in our Florida LMSC.
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So usually you can go after I'm gonna break the local record, then I'll break the regional record, then maybe the national record, then maybe the world record.
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World record holder is right here.
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So Zina looked at these times and she's like I can't do those times.
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So to me that's not a fear.
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If she did them she would be thrilled, but I believe that she has a mental block against them.
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So can you address something like that for swimmers?
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Yeah, so it is a fear that she can't do it.
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So we just define fear differently.
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So what she has is a false belief.
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She has a limiting belief that I haven't done that before.
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So I don't know if I believe enough in my ability to do it and I don't know if I have enough guts, courage, whatever you want to call it to say.
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And I do that because it's so much easier to protect ourselves, because we tend to think I can't do it if I haven't achieved it before.
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But you guys, I know there's so many things that hadn't break a record.
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Well, yeah, do it before anybody else has done it, or so it's like we are allowed to give ourselves permission to do something before we've ever done it, and you get there faster by recognizing that story, that you're telling yourself that I can't do this, or here's why I can't do this, and you can have the greatest evidence and justification on why it's probably really hard or why it's impossible for you.
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So it really isn't a turtle fear.
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We just look at fears differently, and I think maybe something that would also help understand when we label something we tend to attach to it.
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So if I don't know what, then it stays a barrier For a long time.
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If I say there's something that is scary, then it remains scary for a long time because it's people just like saying I'm not good at math or I'm not good at a certain stroke, I'm not good at a certain stroke incident, right, I want to have a sad or not a good kicker, so don't put me in a kick set.
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And we think we can't do something and it's just how we define it.
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So I always caution people.
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The more I talk about what I'm trying to avoid or is scary or overwhelming, the farther I push myself back from that.
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And we know that.
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We heard that.
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But we love to bet and we love to bond and complaining and stuff like that is when we do that we think I know that I'm just pitching, but it's like we say it and we start to believe whatever we say.
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Our mind becomes what we tell it knows.
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So I think it's important to know.
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Fear is just the first way I describe it, but honestly it's performance anxiety which is just creating that racing heart rate, the muscle tension, it's the physiological change that disrupts that muscle memory.
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It disrupts your focus.
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But another thing that really is rooted in what people call blocks is fear of failure, because what if I'm not good enough?
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And people don't like also the term fear of failure.
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Maybe it's fear of judgment.
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Maybe it's fair of disappointment.
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It's there.
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It's just what puts your brain in them worry mode, or what cognitive overload and in the key mirror is recognizing.
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The brain is always going to try to protect you.
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Right, the brain is always going to try to keep you safe.
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So it's going to give you all these crazy physiological symptoms and it's going to make your heart races, all, make you sweat, it's going to make your stomach queasy, but you don't have to believe the brain's message.
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Right, you can counteract.
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That you're in charge of your thoughts now doesn't mean we're going to catch all of them.
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How do you stop overthinking?
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Because I really want it.
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We promised a lot, so we promised the common obstacles releasing tension, how to overcome this fear, and how do you stop overthinking?
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So that's such a loaded question because there's so many things obviously that creates that first you're going to have to recognize the source.
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What is it that we're fearing that might go wrong?
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And then also, what is creating that like cycle?
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Because everybody's going to overthink, we all overthink, you're never going to turn it off, because it's just like nerves you're never going to not be nervous about.
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For me, because then you don't really care about the results or the outcome.
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So the key would be recognizing it and then say when do I repeat that thought?
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And then when do I be like okay, I can be something, I can get a better option and then also having coping skills.
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So I have things to distract tool because a lot of people will overthink.
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When I'm behind the block, when I'm at the start line in, that's absolutely normal.
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I'm sitting there super experienced with this and I'm like I need to have to pee, oh, I have to pull, oh, because you're just experiencing those symptoms and I have to go.
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Do those symptoms?
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Are they reality?
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Is that what's going to happen?
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Or is that my body trying to tell me okay, are you ready for this?
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And it's not like you're okay with overthinking, but a lot of it is like accepted to, knowing that's normal but it sucks, but it's right on cue, and then knowing that I'm going to put myself in a situation that is overwhelming.
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But I'm choosing that because I don't want to be a person that sits on the couch, because I want to go through this goal, because I love the feeling afterwards and then choosing to focus on what I get out of it versus the feelings Like you're.
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Choosing to focus on your ability and it doesn't mean you feeling control, because I think people want to turn off everything you may feel in control.
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You're probably never going to have that feeling if that thing you're doing is big, but it's more of tricking the brain in the process, the brain in the perceiving control, doing strategies that distract you.
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The brain loves like demifying things and like dissolving puzzles, tasks, and so if I can do certain things in the moment just to buy me five, six, seven seconds, oh, now it's time to go.
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That's really helpful.
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And then also knowing, like the root of what is it that I'm worried about?
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Because most people are seeing I've been about what could go wrong Instead of what do I actually want to happen?
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And we don't like think that's enough, and I know I'm over simplifying it, but it is also like enough to guide and funnel your focus, because the brain just really craves instructions and most of us are going, but here's why I can't.
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Oh, here's one.
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This is going to be hard, and you're right, it is really hard, but why can you?
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And just redirecting, like your attention, I know that's probably not what you know.
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That's no, that's a, that's beautiful.
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They're like secret, but it's doing work into figuring out.
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Why are you over thinking and what are you over thinking?
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It seems like you're talking about performance anxiety in terms of right before I do my activity.
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But then there's also the stuff Wayne advanced, like what you were discussing, kelly, with Zina's.
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Like Zina just looks at those numbers and sees pain, or so.
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If we could maybe give Three tips, I might say the same thing as, like, I know I can't do that.
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What would you say to me?
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I'm coming to you, coach, I want to break records, but I look at these numbers and I know I can't do it.
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What do you say?
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What's three things I can do?
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But you can is the point.
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There was a guy on YouTube who decided he was going to make the Olympic team in swimming because he loved Olympic swimming, but he had no swimming background.
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The point is, zina can swim these times.
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She can swim these times.
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But if you're talking to Zina, yeah, what do you say?
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That's what I want to know.
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I will say Kelly, you're right, there's so much detail that goes into who you're talking to.
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Such a generically answer.
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It is difficult because I think honestly this might sound ugly, but that's the problem I think with like sports, psychology and middle training in general is people think it's like positive thinking or they think it's like affirmations or just having more productive thoughts and there's so much more depth into it that are like tactical and tangible tools that you can do is that then they go oh, I'm just not going to mess up, I'm just not going to positive thinking, or I'm just going to come up with a person and that knows back to oh, I just can't achieve that time.
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So then we lump it into oh, I know what that step is.
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I don't know if that will help me.
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And in reality it's so specific to what you're dealing with, like we can really give a better answer or attaching it to a person and we know a background with them.
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But to give you something off of like someone that says I don't know if I can go these times, I would go.
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Where are you getting that story from?
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Or where are you getting that evidence?
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Like, what have you done in the past?
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What is realistic.
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Let's look at something because you're always going to go with I can't, because it's protective, it's an easier statement, and we're going to look at reprogramming your subconscious.
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It actually is relatively easy to change yourself in age and you look at what expectations have I had for me?
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Why would I come up with now?
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Why would I say there's no way I can do this?
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Where is that really coming from?
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And then we will teach you know reading exercises, calming box, alter ego, escape room, how to use neuro plasticity, imagery.
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We will teach strategies to calm you down so that you can go.
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Wait a minute, I can look at this less Emotionally attached and I can be more logical.
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I now so more in control.
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And again, you may not feel control, but your brain receives control.
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So it's like I know in a better place.
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That feels calmer.
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Maybe we're not getting you calm because gotta be realistic, reading you calmer there wouldn't work.
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And so I can change my limiting beliefs, that full story to have believed for so long.
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And then we start making steps towards this is how it's actually believable for you and this is where we redirect your focus.
00:17:25.140 --> 00:17:37.880
So it's a process, but it is possible to change, because I've had a ton of people that had gone on to make Olympic teams and Swayed for like D1 colleges that they never thought they were going to and what they started doing the work.
00:17:37.880 --> 00:17:40.688
It was like you take the backpack of rocks off.
00:17:41.549 --> 00:17:42.573
I love this statement.
00:17:42.573 --> 00:17:44.779
It's relatively easy to change yourself image.
00:17:44.779 --> 00:17:47.486
Huh, that's such an encouraging statement.
00:17:47.865 --> 00:17:54.555
It really is scientifically how to rewire your brain, but people are intimidating so they're like who?
00:17:54.555 --> 00:17:55.460
I don't know if I can do that.
00:17:55.460 --> 00:17:56.403
I'm like, let's try.
00:17:56.403 --> 00:18:02.405
I want you to be the first one that tells me it can't be done, and I use this statement all the time.
00:18:02.445 --> 00:18:07.092
I'm like you're not a unicorn, your brain has the same Neurological pathways as someone else.
00:18:07.092 --> 00:18:08.159
You can do it.
00:18:08.159 --> 00:18:11.960
We just got to put in a little work and for someone to go wait a minute.
00:18:11.960 --> 00:18:16.612
I can scientifically change, not, only, just not that type of person.
00:18:16.612 --> 00:18:24.804
Yeah, you can change your identity and I can do it as little as three weeks, and obviously it doesn't happen for everybody who thinks let's be real.
00:18:24.804 --> 00:18:27.250
But you can change based on repetition.
00:18:27.250 --> 00:18:30.749
So it's not I'm good at this or I'm not good at this.
00:18:30.749 --> 00:18:31.811
It doesn't have to be.
00:18:32.961 --> 00:18:35.826
Yeah, so is that some of that cognitive behavior therapy?
00:18:35.826 --> 00:18:38.252
Do you use that in sports psychology?
00:18:38.622 --> 00:18:40.009
I will be really honest.
00:18:40.009 --> 00:18:41.938
There's a ton of strategies make.
00:18:41.938 --> 00:18:57.263
Of course, I learned in grad school and everything else that I Really believe what has made me good with athletes over the years is story-blowing, its connection, it's ability to relate and it's the 900 books I've probably read yes, yeah, how did you out there?
00:18:57.263 --> 00:18:59.990
And people just don't have the turn to research.
00:18:59.990 --> 00:19:01.012
So that's what I do.
00:19:01.012 --> 00:19:02.282
I've done all the research.
00:19:02.624 --> 00:19:22.234
Let me share a little nugget with you that maybe is not as popular or Oversold and you're like wow, and when you share something that you haven't heard before, you're just more likely to go oh, maybe that's my secret sauce, maybe that will work for me, because we have all these other things that were like this didn't help me.
00:19:22.234 --> 00:19:28.900
Or I have people that we know visualization is incredible, but so many people struggle with it because they just picture what could go wrong.
00:19:28.900 --> 00:19:37.854
So then they write off like the whole strategy, instead of be like let's work on that, and we would totally work on that and I would teach them how to do it and the mistakes people make.
00:19:37.854 --> 00:19:50.460
But in reality I go back to Little tiny tools that maybe they haven't heard of and they're like oh, so they are more open to an idea because it's new and just like doing a new drill.
00:19:50.460 --> 00:19:55.700
It's like maybe this is the thing that will work for me and that changes like how we look at something.
00:19:56.904 --> 00:19:57.587
I'm very good.
00:19:57.788 --> 00:20:00.500
I love what you said about connecting through the storytelling.
00:20:00.500 --> 00:20:02.564
So talk about storytelling stories.
00:20:02.564 --> 00:20:04.588
We tell ourselves stories, we tell each other.
00:20:04.588 --> 00:20:06.113
Can you talk about that a little bit?
00:20:06.941 --> 00:20:08.705
Yeah, everybody's told themselves I'm good.
00:20:08.705 --> 00:20:09.748
And where did it come from?
00:20:09.748 --> 00:20:11.011
Could it come from your parents?
00:20:11.011 --> 00:20:12.664
It could come from teachers.
00:20:12.664 --> 00:20:13.648
They come from coaches.
00:20:14.241 --> 00:20:20.568
I'm 43 years old and I still remember things that my age group coach said to me when I was 12 that's nuts and I know better.
00:20:20.568 --> 00:20:21.875
That's really crazy gets.
00:20:21.875 --> 00:20:36.107
I know better, but I imprinted it and get a repeat of it over and over again and I tied a little bit of myself word to how good I was and what time I went and what meet I qualified for, and so I think a lot of us have to go.
00:20:36.107 --> 00:20:37.813
When do I need to let go of that?
00:20:37.813 --> 00:20:42.740
How long am I going to carry that and so doing the work to go?
00:20:42.740 --> 00:20:44.684
What is it that I've maybe said?
00:20:45.426 --> 00:20:50.160
And the thing I think that happens for a lot of stories is that they're not negative.
00:20:50.160 --> 00:20:55.102
Some of them are negative I suck at fly or something, or I would never be able to do an Iron man Like.
00:20:55.102 --> 00:20:56.960
I hear things like that and those are negative.
00:20:56.960 --> 00:21:00.214
But for the most part some of the stories are what is so?
00:21:00.214 --> 00:21:11.859
I'm not experienced or I don't spend masters anymore, but I used to for years and I heard so many people say I Just started swimming and these people been swimming a long time, they've been swimming their whole life.
00:21:11.859 --> 00:21:21.469
I can't keep up with them, I'm not as good as them, and they're like see, that's not negative, because that's true, and so they may genuinely believe that story been reality.
00:21:21.789 --> 00:21:23.353
You could grow, you could get better.
00:21:23.353 --> 00:21:27.365
You may not be as good as this person, but you can improve.
00:21:27.365 --> 00:21:33.839
Or you can enjoy the sport with different expectations Associated in, different goals tied to it.
00:21:33.839 --> 00:21:38.811
But we tend to say things that not even an I can't, but maybe just that would be really hard.
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So then we're like oh, I can't do hard things.
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