Elite speed skater Kjeld Nuis – identifying and accepting emotions

“I was scared to be nervous. I was ashamed of those feelings going around in my head.”While often your physical performance is seemingly the most apparent aspect of your functioning, the mental side is not to be underestimated, especially when it comes to the influence this has on your ability to achieve your goals. Dutch speed skater Kjeld Nuis has been on both sides of the coin and experienced what a difference mental fitness makes when it comes to winning. In this episode Kjeld recalls the career crossroads that inspired him to include mental training into his routine and reflects on the positive influence it had on his global success.Not everyone aims to break a world record, but this ability of recognising and accepting emotions is also hugely beneficial in everyday life as well. Hosts Cèdric and York approach this topic with a clear and simple exercise – the MAC method. This stands for Mindfulness – Acceptance – Commitment. The first step is to become mindful of your emotions. Try to identify and label the emotions you're feeling – an easier task than it sounds!Secondly, accept that this is the emotion you’re feeling at this moment. Ask yourself where that emotion came from and why.Finally, committing to these emotions means not being ashamed of feeling them but rather sharing your experience with people you trust.Lastly, remember that being able to identify and understand an emotion you’re feeling in a particular situation is already the biggest step towards utilising it to positive effect.What do you think? Does this sound like something that could work for you? Talk to us at [email protected] Set Win: Discover the keys to a winning mindset (redbull.com)