158: How to Manage Unwanted Thoughts Through Stoicism, with Dr. Simon Marshall and Lesley Patterson
b"Have you ever been nervous before a big race?\\xa0Of course\\xa0you have.\\xa0Ever talked yourself into thinking you might fail?\\xa0Have you ever\\xa0felt that\\xa0unwanted negative\\xa0thoughts\\xa0and emotions\\xa0influenced\\xa0how you performed\\xa0in a race?\\xa0There\\u2019s a good chance\\xa0that\\u2019s happened, since it\\xa0will\\xa0occasionally\\xa0happen even to the best athletes in the world.\\xa0\\nBut it doesn\\u2019t have to. This episode is entirely about\\xa0helping you to control unwanted thoughts,\\xa0with two experts who have literally written the book on it. Dr. Simon Marshall and Lesley Patterson,\\xa0owners of Braveheart Coaching and authors of \\u201cThe Brave Athlete: Calm the F***k Down and Rise to the Occasion,\\u201d have written and lectured extensively about\\xa0mental preparation in athletes.\\xa0\\nTheir philosophy of practice stems largely from the concept of stoicism, and their goal is to help athletes overcome destructive emotions\\xa0and\\xa0act only\\xa0on\\xa0what can be acted upon.\\xa0\\xa0\\nMarshall\\xa0brings his years of clinical and neuroscience practice to bear on the discussion, while former Xterra world champion Patterson brings the athlete\\xa0perspective. Together, they offer what they see as a\\xa0fundamentally educational, humanistic, and holistic\\xa0approach to training the brain.\\xa0\\xa0\\nToday, we\\u2019ll discuss the underlying principles\\xa0of\\xa0an\\xa0athlete's psychological welfare, and why\\xa0our thoughts and feelings are simply emergent properties of brain and nervous system physiology. On the practical side, we\\u2019ll discuss how\\xa0controlling\\xa0those\\xa0thoughts and feelings requires that you manage your autonomic nervous system the best you can.\\xa0\\xa0\\nBesides\\xa0Simon and Lesley, we also hear from sports psychologist Julie\\xa0Emmerman,\\xa0who works with athletes across many disciplines and at various ability levels,\\xa0and Ted King, who now races long, painful, and emotionally challenging gravel and\\xa0bikepacking\\xa0races. They both provide helpful tips on handling unwanted thoughts.\\xa0\\nNow, whatever you do, don\\u2019t think about a pink elephant... don\\u2019t worry, this will make sense soon.\\xa0Let's make you fast!\\xa0\\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices"