Athletes – How To Get In The Zone
- Mar 19, 2024
- 3 min read
Written by: Emma Heywood Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
You’ve probably heard the phrase “in the zone.” Maybe you’ve seen it, maybe you’ve even experienced it. But what is it? And how can you recreate it?
The “zone” or the “flow” state is a place that is no place. A place where time ceases to exist. There is no past, no future, just the eternal present moment. You still with me?
It’s hard to explain unless you’ve experienced it. And if you’ve experienced it, you know what I’m talking about. When you’re in the zone, or in the flow, you’re not thinking. Your mind is actually turned off. You’re operating from a place of total trust. You’re operating automatically. Just like you don’t have to think about your lungs breathing, or your heart pumping, you don’t have to think about you performing your best game.
The zone is present moment awareness. In that place there is no need to think. You’re moving without thinking. You’re not stressed about what the score is or if you’re going to win or lose.
You trust. Your movement flows out of you effortlessly. You are playing at your peak emotional state.
The zone is getting out of your thinking and into the present moment.
It is from playing in the zone that the best athletic performances occur. Why? Because the athlete is out of their ego. Out of their mind. Their subconscious mind and body has taken over automatically. From that place there is no fear.
How to get in the zone
Now that we know what the zone is, how do you actually get there? Just like everything else in your athletic career…you practice.
As an athlete you dedicate your life to your craft. You eat, sweat, think, breathe, dream in your sport. You dedicate to your physical training, you surround yourself with a good team, coaches, and supportive family and friends.
But you’re missing out on a key part of your craft: your mind. Not your typical mental training and sports psychology. Psychology wants to get into your mind. Yes, there is a time and place for that. But you also need to get out of your mind. What I mean is, you need to get out of your conscious mind. That part of you that overthinks. I have a feeling you’re thinking enough.
What you need to get in the zone is access that part of you to reach that peak emotional state: your subconscious mind (that controls 95-98% of who you are). You need to practice and feel what your peak emotional state feels like. You need to practice being in the present moment. By actually being in it in your daily life. So your body memorizes how to recreate it on autopilot.
Your subconscious mind is your autopilot. That intangible “thing” that takes over when you get in the zone? That is your subconscious mind.
One of the ways to get out of your mind and into your autopilot is through hypnosis. In hypnosis we access your subconscious mind, tap into that eternal present moment, and emotionally rehearse your flow. Your zone. Your peak emotional state.
So when you’re in the high pressure situations on court, your autopilot takes over. You are flowing out exactly what is needed. Your overthinking has turned off and the zone has taken over.
If you’ve experienced the zone, you know how satisfying it is. If you haven’t, don’t worry, you can. As I said, all you need is practice. Dedicate to practicing everyday and getting “in the zone” will become your norm.
Free gift
If you want a taste of what sports hypnosis is like, check out my free Achieve Your Athletic Success Audio here.
Listen for 21-30 days and watch your performance wildly transform.
Emma Heywood, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Emma Heywood is a Clinical Hypnotherapist, a practitioner of Rapid Transformational Therapy (RTT), Performance Mindset Coach, and a classically trained actress, performing on stage from North America to Europe. She has been on her own mental health journey since she was 12 years old. She knows what it’s like to struggle with depression, anxiety, and PTSD. She transformed her life using RTT, hypnosis, and the power of her subconscious mind. She went from living a life of trauma and low self-esteem to one of inner freedom, self-worth, joy, abundance, and embodying her purpose. And now she helps others do the same. You too can live a life free from self-doubt, fear, low self-esteem, and anxiety. You too can become the most powerful, liberated, confident version of you yet. Emma will be your guide: see you on the other side.
