Andy Murray staged the greatest comeback of his career in yesterday’s epic match against Thanasi Kokkinakis at the Australian Open. During a gruelling five hours and 45 minutes, Murray defied all the odds as he fought back from two sets down to win the match. Despite having a metal hip, Murray displayed incredible levels of mental and physical endurance in what was the longest match of his life. A lesson to all of us about the importance of drawing on your self-belief and resilience to bounce back from setbacks and achieve the extraordinary.
So, be inspired by Andy’s example and follow the steps below to help you bounce back from any setbacks that come your way:
Have a glass half full attitude
When circumstances don’t turn out like you’d hoped, it’s easy to fall into a downward spiral of negative thoughts. In extreme cases, people can start catastrophising by imagining worst-case scenarios. Emotionally resilient people on the other hand, have the ability to reframe negative thoughts into positive ones. By avoiding black and white thinking and finding shades of grey instead, you are more likely to see the positives in a situation and be able to move forward.
Take control of your freeze or flight moments
When you’re feeling under pressure, your brain can go into freeze or flight mode as part of your body’s response to a stressful situation. It’s impossible to solve problems when you are in this mode. Emotionally resilient people are able to break out of this zone by using a range of techniques such as visualisation, mindfulness and teamwork to calm their minds. By taking control in this way, you will be able to think on your feet and make another plan.
Play to your strengths
In tough times, the secret to bouncebackability is using your personal strengths to turn the situation around. This can mean drawing on underused strengths to allow you to operate at your best. For example, if you normally shy away from the limelight, now may be the time to step up and demonstrate your leadership strength to put across a strong message. By using your strengths to take control of challenging situations, you will gain confidence in your own abilities and become increasingly more resilient.
By dialing up your optimism, controlling your emotions and playing to your strengths, you will have the tools at your fingertips to overcome any hurdles in your path so that, like Andy Murray, you too can keep raising your game.
