The racing and breeding business is 24/7 so managing your mental health is vital ITBA held a webinar titled ‘Managing your Mental Health and Developing Resilience’ as part of the Ask The
Expert series. The webinar recording is available to watch back – please email hmarks@itba.ie.

Resilience is having the capacity to change your behaviour in response to stress before the change becomes obvious or difficult. You can identify the stressors before then can affect you.

Strategies to improve resilience

Name It to Tame It

This is a technique that involves noticing and labelling emotions as they’re happening. Identifying an intense emotion (‘naming’) decreases stress and anxiety (‘taming’) in the brain and the body that that emotion is causing. Vocabulary is important, e.g. “I am feeling anxious/nervous/scared …” versus “I am …”). You are feeling something, you are not all that emotion at that particular
time.

The 5-4-3-2-1 Grounding Technique

This technique is to help you stay in the present moment. You can’t affect the past and you can’t predict the future, all you can control is the present moment. It is good to ease your state of mind in stressful moments:

  • Acknowledge 5 things that can see around you
  • 4 things that you can touch or feel
  • 3 things that you can hear
  • 2 things that you can smell
  • 1 thing that you can taste

Circle of Control

If things don’t go your way, it is easy to get caught in a cycle of negative thoughts. You give energy and power to things outside your control. This technique allows you to focus on what is
within your circle of control. Ask yourself, ‘what is worrying me?’, ‘what is in my control?’, ‘what matters most to me and what can I do about it?’ This helps direct your energy and thoughts into positive, practical and actionable emotions. Focus on what you can control and plan ahead – thoughts, emotions, actions.

Self-care

Taking time out for self-care can seem counterintuitive at first but it really boosts productivity in the long run.

Rest and relaxation help restore energy, creativity and focus. When you are physically and mentally refreshed you’re more likely to be efficient and effective in your job

Gratitude Practice

Focusing on gratitude helps shift attention from stress and negative thoughts to positive experiences. This fosters a mindset of appreciation.

This is a good tool to use during times of stress, disappointment or frustration to help counter negative thoughts patterns. It is useful to use at the start or the end of each day, and you can list three things you are grateful for. It can be helpful to write these down.

Cultivating a Growth Mindset

A growth mindset is where people believe that the most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work. The love of learning and developing resilience is essential for great
accomplishment.

Be aware of your thoughts and belief. You can adapt and choose your mindset. Adapt and move out of your comfort zone and make huge changes:

  • Acknowledge your effort – tried, made mistakes…
  • Be careful of your language – the power of YET… ‘I can’t do that YET’. You give yourself the power to develop

The skill is within you to develop a Growth Mindset:

  • Know you have overcome previous challenges and reflect on them
  • Focus on actions and process
  • Learn from adversity, setbacks and failure, they are just springboards for the next thing
  • Flexible and adaptable mindset
  • Good self-awareness and managing your emotions – ‘Naming it to tame it’
  • Use your psychological strengths. Magnify your strengths and coping skills

Developing a positive mindset and resilience is ongoing. When it gets tough it is important to not give up. Fail and fail forward. Everyone has the will to win, very few have the will to prepare to win. That is what makes the difference. The above are useful skills to help deal with stress and develop a positive mindset. If you are struggling and you need help there are a number of options available, you don’t have to figure it out on your own.

USEFUL RESOURCES

  • www.mind.org.uk for free ideas to help relax
  • Smiling Mind App with free mindfulness exercises
  • Horse Racing Ireland Industry Assistance Programme available via https://www.equuip.ie/industry-assistance-programme