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- How Lionel Messi deals with anxiety
Welcome to The Introverted Path!
Happy Thursday - hope everyone is having a great week so far and is ready for the weekend.
This is my favorite time of year in the Midwest. Nothing better than coming out of winter and seeing those first signs of spring time.
This week, I wanted to talk about an awesome article I found regarding one of soccer’s best players of all time, Lionel Messi.
Specifically, the article talks about how he has learned to deal with his anxiety issues before games.
There are lessons we can all take in our own lives.
In today’s email:
How Lionel Messi deals with anxiety
Ways we can apply this to our own lives
Links to other content I enjoyed this week
Let’s dive in 🤙
Lionel Messi’s strategy to deal with anxiety
For those that aren’t familiar, Lionel Messi is widely considered one of the best soccer players of all time.
The Ballon d’Or trophy, which is awarded to the top soccer player in the world each year, has gone to him more times than anyone else.
He now plays in the US for Inter Miami as part of one of the most lucrative contract deals in soccer.
So clearly he has it all figured out, right?
Not entirely.
Messi famously would get sick before every game. He would literally vomit on the field before matches.
This had some people questioning whether he had would it took to truly be a great player.
So what was his solution to combating this anxiety?
Doing nothing.
During the first few minutes of a game, Messi basically just walks around.
Other players are sprinting around getting straight into action — but not Messi.
He lets his nerves cool, gets a feel for the game, and lets things come to him.
Soccer matches are 90 minutes long.
By doing nothing for the first few minutes, he ensures he is at the top of his form for the other 85 minutes.
How we can apply this to our lives
Many introverts are more prone to deal with anxiety issues.
Since we spend so much time in our own heads, we can begin to overthink things or develop impostor syndrome.
Many people preach moving quickly and taking action on things - and for some situations this can be the right approach.
But other times it pays to allow yourself time to get familiar with a decision or situation before jumping in.
When you’re anxious, it helps to pause. Take stock of your emotions. Understand how you are feeling.
By allowing ourselves to calm down, we are able to make better decisions.
Similar to Messi, who’s “pausing” allows him to perform better for the rest of the game, taking time before taking an action can allow for better outcomes.
So the next time you are feeling anxious over a situation or task, allow yourself time to calm your nerves.
Sometimes doing nothing is the best thing to do.
Links that I enjoyed this week 💥
That’s it for today - hope you enjoyed this week’s newsletter!
Best,
BG