Post-race interviews at the recent Olympics revealed just how key mindset is to performance under pressure. The good news is anyone can build up this kind of resilience.
Olympic gold medallist Jessica Fox said she entered a quiet place in her mind before her race in the canoe slalom in Paris. “Be myself. Let it be. Be free,” she told herself.
Silver medallist in the 400m freestyle Elijah Winnington said in a post-race interview that his coach’s pre-race advice was “Think of this as Disneyland.”
When asked about the weight of expectation on her after the 1500m semi-final, Jessica Hull – who went on to win silver – replied, “Personally, I’m not really looking at it as expectation. It’s like this is the greatest our event has ever been and to be someone who’s positioned as a medal contender it’s like truly the most lucky position to be in. It’s not an expectation, it’s an opportunity.”
Even the GOAT US gymnast Simone Biles could be seen mouthing “You’ve got this” to herself before starting her routines.
UNSW’s Associate Professor Justine Gatt, an expert in wellbeing and resilience research, says the types of strategies these athletes used are ones we can all adopt to increase our wellbeing, which in turn improves our resilience.
“Resilience isn’t a trait or a behaviour, it’s a process that can be developed and strengthened over time. It involves drawing on internal resources, such as coping strategies, as well as external resources like social support and a healthy lifestyle.
“It’s about having the right tools to deal with life’s challenges,” says A/Prof Gatt.
For the Olympians, the challenge was to perform well on a world stage in an event they had been working towards for years. For other people, the challenge might be exams, or a job interview, or coping with change.
A/Prof. Gatt, who is Director of the Centre for Wellbeing, Resilience and Recovery and Head of the Gatt Resilience Group at Neuroscience Research Australia and UNSW’s School of Psychology, has developed a wellbeing scale – COMPAS-W.
It measures six key factors that boost wellbeing: composure, own-worth, mastery, positivity, achievement and satisfaction. And as our wellbeing increases, so does our resilience.
1. Composure
Composure, like that shown pre-race by Olympians such as Jess Fox, involves those techniques and coping strategies we use to regulate our emotions in moments of stress. Reframing, like Elijah Winnington – who reimagined the excitement of the Olympics as equivalent to being at one of his favourite places in the world, Disneyland – can be a part of that.
“Using adaptive coping strategies like positive reframing, active problem solving, or healthy tension relief strategies like exercise, yoga or deep breathing, are all forms of coping that can be used to deal with stress,” says A/Prof. Gatt.
2. Own-worth
Maintaining a healthy sense of your own-worth (or self-worth) is essential to wellbeing. At its simplest, it means knowing your worth and values and being mindful of how you deserve to be treated by yourself and others. It also means offering yourself compassion when faced with disappointment or difficulty.
A good example is how 50m freestyle Olympic gold medallist Cam McEvoy dealt with coming second in the World Aquatics Championships in February 2024: “If I was to tell my [younger] self that I would be standing here right now, just 0.01 off a second world title, I’d be super proud.”
A/Prof. Gatt says: “Speaking to yourself as kindly and with as much encouragement as you would to a friend is a way to increase your wellbeing and bolsters your ability to bounce back and try again rather than allow disappointment to stop you in your tracks.”
3. Mastery
Whatever their sport, Olympians spend years honing their skills. They practise, train and continue to improve. As they compete, Olympians can remind themselves they can succeed because of the effort they have put into preparing for competition.
“Knowing your strengths and abilities can be helpful in building self-confidence and mastery. The more you build your skills, including areas of weakness, the better you will feel about yourself in achieving new skills and overcoming previous limitations, and you can remind yourself of the work you have put in as you face the task ahead,” says A/Prof. Gatt.
4. Positivity
Runner Jessica Hull is renowned for her positive attitude to her competitors and her sport. “It’s not an expectation, it’s an opportunity,” she said as she explained how she was thinking about the upcoming Olympic final.
“Thinking about past positive experiences as you face a challenge can also boost wellbeing, so recalling past competitions they’ve been successful in could be a good place to go for an Olympian, and for others it could be remembering the jobs you’ve been hired for, the exams you’ve passed, the tricky conversations that have gone well,” says A/Prof. Gatt.
“When faced with a challenge, seeing the opportunity to grow or learn from the experience rather than fearing the outcome can be a way to build wellbeing and resilience.
“In other situations like competitive sports, it’s about remembering why you are participating in the first place – it’s because you are participating in something you enjoy doing.”
5. Achievement
“A sense of achievement is something all these competitors can already use to boost their wellbeing, as they remind themselves of their ‘right’ to be competing. Everyone who competes at the Olympics has had to set and strive towards goals to improve and ultimately qualify,” says A/Prof. Gatt.
And goal setting is something everyone can benefit from.
“Meaningful goals give you a sense of purpose and as you strive and achieve you build on your wellbeing. When you set SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound) goals and then achieve them, it provides a sense of accomplishment and reinforces resilience.
“The process of working towards these goals, even in the face of setbacks, helps build a sense of resilience over time,” says A/Prof. Gatt.
6. Satisfaction
“Satisfaction is about being satisfied with your life, with your physical health, your relationships and your work. Making choices that move towards better health, better friendships and satisfying work all support wellbeing and so get you into a place of greater resilience,” says A/Prof. Gatt.
Jemima Montag, who won bronze medals in the 20km and marathon walks in Paris, was asked how she would encourage girls who might be inspired by her result to aim to become Olympians.
“The journey isn’t without its challenges,” she said, “but the message is it doesn’t matter if you’re doing sport for fun in your backyard with your girlfriends, or whether you want to take it to this Olympic medallist level. Sport is about community and a sense of belonging, making friends, looking after our physical health and mental health, learning amazing life skills like dedication and leadership, which are all such great things.”
A/Prof. Gatt says: “Jemima Montag’s reflection highlights the way that participating in sport can be a pathway to wellbeing and resilience. So, perhaps one of the best things to take away from watching Olympians cope with the pressure of competing is to be inspired by them to step out of your comfort zone and challenge yourself with learning something new. Whether you succeed is not the point. It is all about the fun in learning about something you enjoy, and the other life skills you gather along the way, including resilience.”
Key Facts:
“Perhaps one of the best things to take away from watching Olympians cope with the pressure of competing is to be inspired by them to step out of your comfort zone and challenge yourself with learning something new. Whether you succeed is not the point. It is all about the fun in learning about something you enjoy, and the other life skills you gather along the way, including resilience,” says Professor Justine Gatt.
