“My motto was always to keep swinging. Whether I was in a slump or feeling badly or having trouble off the field, the only thing to do was keep swinging.” – Hank Aaron
Slumps happen to everyone. Regardless of what you do or how successful you are, everyone experiences difficult times where they struggle, make a lot of mistakes, and fail over an extended period of time. The hardest part, though? attempting to recover from a slump, change course, and begin to gather favourable momentum.
There have been times in my life when I felt like nothing, I touched was good. But over time, whether via trial and error, reading, or studying successful individuals, I’ve discovered a few effective and tried-and-true methods to get back on track and resume making significant progress. This is how:
1. Make Your Saw Sharp:
When you feel yourself slipping, start with a straightforward fix: Put more effort towards honing your craft. This is without a doubt the first thing the finest athletes in any discipline do when you examine them. When an athlete suffers, whether it be in basketball, football, or golf, they don’t spend less time; instead, they put in more to hone their talents, break bad habits, and practise. This may seem apparent, but it isn’t since a slump makes you frustrated and tough, which makes you want to work less. In actuality, rather than embracing bad feelings, most individuals avoid them.
Because perhaps a slump simply indicates that you have reached your limit and that, whether in business, art, or sports, the only way to advance is to put in additional time to develop new talents.
“This is the single most powerful investment we can ever make in life- investment in ourselves, is the only instrument we have with which to deal with life, and to contribute. We are the instruments of our own performance, and to be effective, we need to recognise the importance of taking time regularly to sharpen the saw…”- Stephen Covey
2. Concentrate on What You Can Control:
Slump is annoying since it can seem like you’re following all the rules, but you still fall short. Even so, life is not perfect: There are a lot of uncontrollable factors, such as bad luck and unforeseen circumstances. You shouldn’t limit your attention to your results because of this. Instead, concentrate on your effort, consistency, planning, bravery, intelligence, attitude, and other factors that are entirely within your control.
The renowned sports psychologist Dr. Bob Rotella stated that you can only “do everything possible to give those results a chance to happen.” If you can do that, you should be proud of yourself no matter what happens. Why? As a result of the fact that your attitude when things don’t go your way is more significant than your attitude when they do.
The best part is that when you concentrate on the path to success, good things will eventually happen for you.
“In life, too many variables are out of my control. There’s really just one thing I can control: my attitude during the journey, which is what keeps me feeling steady and stable, and what keeps me headed in the right direction. So I consciously monitor and correct, if necessary, because losing attitude would be far worse than not achieving my goal.”– Col. Chris Hadfield
3. Calm Your Mind:
If this seems familiar, please let me know. You’re playing a sport, but as soon as you start to struggle, you correct yourself. Hold your hands higher, maintain a straight back, widen your stride, etc. Now, when you attempt to play, you’re considering twenty different things. and things just grow worse.
The issue with over- analysing and overthinking yourself is that it impairs your performance by adding extra pressure, pressure, and tension. There is a place and a time for criticism, but if you’ve done it well before, you already know how. Then calm your mind, believe in yourself, and let go.
A tactic is to switch your concentration to something else, such as your breathing, the sounds around you, or something visually appealing. Another is to stop criticising yourself and simply let yourself to enter “flow.” For instance, if you’re writing, just write without editing yourself until you’re done—let your mind wander as it pleases.
“The secret is not thinking. That doesn’t mean being stupid; it means quieting the endless jabbering of thoughts so that your body can do instinctively what it’s been trained to do without the mind getting in the way. All of us have flashes of oneness … when we’re completely immersed in the moment, inseparable from what we’re doing.”– Phil Jackson
4. Utilise it for your benefit:
A slump only grows worse the more we try to combat it. It often turns out to be worse than we anticipate. And it will be far more difficult to recover if you keep criticising yourself for each setback when you are in a rut.
Accept the circumstance and recognise it for what it is- an opportunity to rediscover positive behaviours and advance instead of disliking it. Since nobody is flawless, you should understand that challenges, failures, and mistakes are huge parts of your growth if you’re still learning new abilities.
When you push yourself against more difficult opponents and try things that are “out of your league,” you’ll suffer more failure. This is when you may go through a slump. However, this is a fantastic sign because it shows that you’re growing in life and stepping beyond of your comfort zone.
Finally, keep in mind that you are not your performance, and the results do not define you. You are as deserving of respect whether you succeed or fail.
“The errors we make can be seen as an important part of the developing process. In its process of developing, [we gain] a great deal from errors. Even slumps are part of the process. They are not “bad” events, but they seem to endure endlessly as long as we call them bad and identify with them.”– W. Timothy Gallwey
5. Keep your faith:
When comparing a slump to a “hot streak,” When you’re on a roll, you’re assured, upbeat, and you believe that everything is working in your favour. But does your feeling cause your hot streak, or does your hot streak cause your feeling?
A positive, upbeat mindset is frequently what sparks success in the first place. And although it may be challenging to be upbeat when you’re having a rough time, optimism is what promotes mental resilience and achievement. Many outstanding athletes have an irrational self-belief; they constantly think they’ll make their shot or score a goal, even when they’re having a bad game.
It will keep you upbeat and motivated despite hardship if you have faith that your subsequent try will be successful. If you allow a few disappointing outcomes to destroy your self-confidence, on the other hand, you will constantly be a puppet; your emotions will be yanked around by life, and you won’t have a chance when things don’t go your way.
“I never really use that word because a slump to me almost sounds like you’re losing confidence. Obviously, I’d like to shoot better, make shots, make more shots, and I’m sure that’ll happen. But I woke up this morning not worrying about what happened the past four or five games. It’s a new day, it’s a new opportunity. – Stephen Curry, when asked if he was in a slump.
6. Change Your Setting:
In order to generate fresh ideas, reenergize yourself, and get out of ruts or plateaus, a change of environment is frequently sufficient. Try altering your environment if you haven’t been performing to your potential. Step outside. Practise in a different area. If you need to work, go to a coffee shop. The benefits of this straightforward action can be astounding.
“To increase your level of engagement, you should continually be switching your working environment… If you rotate and alternate, you’re working environments, you will have a great deal more energy. You won’t get bored or distracted as easily. You’ll get far more creative insight… this is very different from how most people work. Most people work in the same environment and are constantly switching from task to task. Thus, they aren’t optimizing their environment and they’re never getting into flow.”- Benjamin Hardy, Ph.D.
7. Take a Break:
A sports team may occasionally postpone practise when they are having a particularly terrible streak in order to give themselves a mental break. They can then temporarily put their troubles out of their minds and take a break from the pressure and stress they are under.
A few days (or even a week) away from your typical routine will help you recharge and renew yourself if you’ve tried everything but you’re still feeling down. Get away and stop thinking about your concerns. Even though it may be challenging when you’re having a hard time, taking even one day off can help you get through it.
“We always have the potential to rise. Rise out of our slump. Rise out of our negative thoughts. Rise out of our comfort zone. Rise out of our complaints. GET UP AND RISE. Rising is a choice that’s one powerful thought away.”- Kris Carr
I’m sure you’ll break out of any ruts once you return to your work with new eyes and continue moving forward towards your objectives.
P.S- Try taking a cold shower, and the refreshment you will get will surely motivate you to do work, and come out of a slump.
