Stress can be better understood as a state of being where The Mind is continually fixated on problems, leaving the body in a tense and rigid state of survival. In the short term, this looks like low performance level, slow improvement, and being weighed down by excessive mental activity and undesirable fear-based emotions. In the long term, as stress accumulates, the consequences multiply. The main danger of stress, is that it IS very stressful. It’s a cycle that feeds itself.
And so, the vicious cycle of stress will continue and the problems on the surface will perpetuate, until that individual makes it a priority to reestablish a healthy Mind/Body Connection.
Presence on the other hand, creates a sense of freedom, fluidity, and flow. There’s one thing every athlete agrees with. We play best when we “feel free.” No mindset, game plan, or strategy will ever outweigh the feeling of being free. Free to be yourself. Free to think. Free to choose. Free to play. Shifting to a state of Presence is the process of embracing this freedom, and taking ownership over yourself. Ownership not because you have to, but because you want to.