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Wednesday, November 16 2022 / Published in General, Weekly Feature

Positive Stress-Busting Habits to Help Conquer Anxiety

By Margie Sugarman

I haven’t been to Indoors since I was a Junior. I worked hard this year, have the right horse and proper training, and qualified for two finals. My horse is amazing, and I know she will be great, but I’m nervous. I feel such pressure to succeed against my peers who have been here many times over the years. How do I calm myself when anxiety overpowers me, so I can be successful and not let my head get in the way?

We all hate to fail, but the competitive piece in sports helps to create an added desire for victory. The problem is that the anxiety associated with failure fuels us to focus on the negatives without acknowledging any positives. 

Ever have the feeling that negative thoughts are racing around in your head and colliding with one another like bumper cars? Ever feel your heart rate increase to the point where you feel as though your heart is going to break through your chest? Ever feel as though no matter how deeply you breathe, you aren’t getting any air?

Confucius said it quite well: “The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.” Let’s look at how we can get rid of some of those stones and smooth the path to your success in the ring. The following are some options—choose what works for you!

COMBATING NEGATIVE THOUGHTS

Sit, think and write down accomplishments you’ve achieved on your way to qualifying for these finals. Think back to where you were last year at this time and how far you’ve come. Think about the lessons you’ve learned and the progress you’ve made. Make sure you highlight what you’ve learned from your mistakes. Your progress has put you in this enviable position.

“Don’t believe every worried thought you have. Worried thoughts are notoriously inaccurate.” —Renee Janie 

BE MINDFUL

Mindfulness teaches us to stay in the here and now. Mindfulness exercises help you stay focused on your senses, which are how we interact with the environment. Some people listen to very upbeat music that gets the psyche psyched and the energy level up. Others prefer sensory exercises that focus the mind on concrete associations with the senses. These exercises ground the mind and calm the body, allowing your autonomic nervous system to relax.

“You cannot always control what goes on outside, but you can always control what goes on inside.” — Wayne Dyer

PROGRESSIVE MUSCLE RELAXATION AND IMAGERY

Among many benefits of progressive muscle relaxation are reducing anxiety, heart rate, blood pressure and salivary cortisol levels. Imagery helps to ground the senses and induce a peaceful state of mind.

“Your calm mind is the ultimate weapon against your challenges.” — Bryant McGill

BREATHING

Deep breathing, belly breathing and diaphragmatic breathing calm the physiological systems in the body. Furthermore, it reduces the heart rate and blood pressure, increases the activation of the parasympathetic nervous system and lowers the brain state. 

“Calm mind brings inner strength and self-confidence…” — Dalai Lama

LAUGHING AND HUMOR

Laughing is a simple route to reducing stress. Studies have shown that “mirthful” laughter reduces cortisol and epinephrine levels in the body, reducing stress’s adverse hormonal effects. Moreover, laughter helps to improve the immune system.

“Laugh my friend, for laughter ignites a fire within the pit of your belly and awakens your being.” — Stella McCartney

YOGA

Interesting studies by Riley and Park (2015) found that yoga exerts positive effects through biological and psychological pathways. Furthermore, it enhances positive emotions while decreasing the stress response and lessens the activation of the parasympathetic nervous system.  

“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.” — Anne Lamott

EXERCISE

Exercise helps us to respond better to stress. Why? Exercise acts as a type of dress rehearsal for the body’s mechanisms that come into play when dealing with stress. When our activity level is too low, our body doesn’t get enough practice dealing with anxiety and stress. Walk around the horse show rather than sitting on your tack trunk!

“I know of one freedom and that is the freedom of the mind.” — Antoine de Saint-Exupery

JAPANESE STRESS RELIEF

The hands are believed to be one of the pathways to relieving tensions.

The Jin Shin Jyutsu method explains how to rebalance energies:

     -Grab your finger (or thumb) with the opposite hand as if holding a handle.

     -Hold each finger (or thumb) for one to two minutes. You might feel a pulsing sensation.

     -For the palm, use the thumb of your opposite hand to put pressure on the mid palm for about one minute.

“A positive attitude gives you power over your circumstances instead of your circumstances having power over you.”— Joyce Meyer

By using such techniques regularly, nipping stress in the bud will build positive stress-busting habits. In turn, your physical and mental well-being is enhanced, while anxiety will remain at an optimal level.

“Stand up to your obstacles and do something about them. You will find that they haven’t half the strength you think they have.” — Norman Vincent Peale

     

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A column from Liz Halliday-Sharp herself The spor A column from Liz Halliday-Sharp herself 
The sport of eventing is a demanding and mentally challenging discipline that requires a combination of physical and mental fortitude from both the rider and horse. While having a coach can be incredibly beneficial, self-coaching can also play a crucial role in a rider’s success.

I think that given the opportunity, most riders would like to be coached every day. The reality of life in the horse world, however, is that the majority of us need to absorb as much from the lessons we have on a limited basis and then practice those skills at home to improve.

When I am riding, I try to have a plan for the horses each day and focus on what I’m looking to achieve. It’s important to be aware of the steady improvements rather than trying to solve everything all at once. This is especially important when teaching horses new movements or exercises that they might struggle with, and we need to give them time to learn and understand what we are asking for.

I have a couple of quotes that I use regularly when I’m teaching, and these are mottos that I hold myself to in my daily work as well.

The first is, “If you do what you have always done, you will get what you have always gotten.” This is a quote that was said to me many years ago when I was still motor racing and I keep it in the back of my mind each day. It’s easy to get stuck doing the same thing every day with your horse and bad habits are hard to break, from both riders and horses!

This leads me to my next quote, which is, “If what you are doing isn’t working, try something else.” It really is as simple as that! Many riders I see keep asking a horse to do something the same way over and over with an ongoing negative response and they wonder why things don’t get better. In these circumstances, I recommend that the rider change something, even if it’s wrong.

Read the full article by clicking the link in our bio! Don’t forget to keep your eye out for our April subscription!
📸Photo by Alex Banks Photography
The✨April issue✨ of Sidelines Magazine is here The✨April issue✨ of Sidelines Magazine is here and we are so excited to feature three-day eventer Liz Halliday on the cover! Big thanks to photographer Melissa Fuller for the beautiful photo of Liz and Cooley Nutcracker- Liz Halliday-Sharp - HS Eventing. Liz and her horses have taken the eventing world by storm - and find out how Liz is at the top of the sport as a female eventer! As the horse world gears up for the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event 2023, it's the perfect time to enjoy our eventing issue!! We also feature eventer and woman entrepreneur Frankie Thieriot Stutes, who is not only an eventer, but also runs Athletux and FRANKIE CAMERON handbags and accessories. And don't miss our eventing story on Robert "Bobby" Costello, who will be leading the US Eventing team to the 2024 Paris Olympics- and US Equestrian has named Bobby the eventing technical advisor/chef d'equipe!! Liz, Frankie and Bobby all have GREAT stories - don't miss any of them and don't forget to get your tickets for the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day event! We are also excited to introduce you to hunter-jumper rider Casey Lorusso Smith, who is not only a talented rider but also a psychotherapist and incorporates horses into her career. If you are up for adventure, then read the story on dressage rider Priscilla Baldwin who certainly doesn't let any grass grow under her feet! We also head to the west coast to catch up with hunter-jumper trainer Jim Hagman of Elvenstar Farm, we feature beautiful art by equestrian artist Tammy Tappan, and we get to know Miranda Jones and her family. Miranda is not only an attorney who spends a lot of time in the courthouse, but she's a rider and spends lots of time riding, and is joined by her daughters also! We are excited to feature Stephanie Lightner in our Unbridled column, and don't miss our columnists George Williams, Robert R.L. Jacobs and Margie Sugarman! It's a great issue - and you can read it online, but don't forget to go to the website and order a subscription and get every issue delivered to your mailbox!! Enjoy this issue and enjoy the ride: Link in bio!!
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Marie Meyers has been around the world because of Marie Meyers has been around the world because of dressage, but it’s her farm in Moorpark, California, that has captured her heart. The farm and the business that thrives there represent Marie’s lifelong journey—a journey made up of good friends, spectacular horses and relationships made to last.

Marie was raised in Southern California, and spent her childhood playing just about every sport under the sun, but she didn’t discover riding until she was 14 years old. “I loved animals so much, so I started taking lessons. I did jumping at first, but I was very bad at that, for sure!” Marie laughed.

After some time, Marie moved on to take lessons at Foxfield Riding Academy and began riding dressage. “I fell into dressage by accident,” Marie said, “At the beginning, I thought it was extremely boring, but then I got hooked. By the time I graduated from high school, I had plans to travel to England to work for Franz Rochowansky, a former head of the Spanish Riding School.”

In 1988, Marie’s hard work paid off, and the pair was selected as alternates for the 1988 Summer Olympic Games. “They didn’t take the alternates that year, so we didn’t go to Seoul, but the experience, the training and the European Tour afterwards set me up for the 1990 World Equestrian Games in Stockholm, Sweden,” Marie said.

In addition to having success representing her country, Marie was busy with her life—marriage, a business, teaching lessons and clinics. 

Learn more about Marie in this month's edition of Sidelines Magazine. Click the link in our bio for more 🦄

📸Photos by Lindsey Long Equine Photography, www.lindseylong.com

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