Relaxation is the secret to results-under-pressure” Really?

What does it mean to Relax?   

·        I told my wife to relax and she shut down all communication with me the rest of the day?

·        I told myself to relax before my big talk in front of 1000 people and I only got more nervous and tongue tied.

·        My coach told me to relax and I thought, “What does he know about what’s going on in my head.”

·        The Doctor told me to relax, I know I need to relax, but that pointed needle still freaked me out no matter how many deep breaths I took.

There are many ideas out there including deep breaths?  yoga, a focal point, a mantra and they may work.  Or do they work sometimes?

Relax to me is a overused word that has good intentions but almost always fails.  

I recently read “Relaxation is the secret to results-under-pressure” Really? If it is the secret to results, why is not easy for all of us to obtain?

I also recently read a study that found that extreme sportsmen and women performed significantly better under physical and mental duress.   Was this because they were more relaxed under pressure than no pressure.  or were they more alert and less relaxed?

So there needs to be some balance?

I agree your body works better in a more relaxed stage than an agitated stage.  But, the opposite can be said as well the body works better under some agitation and not to relaxed.   

I have often relaxed so much that I was not prepared for the action.  So If relaxing to little or to much be detrimental.  How do we relax the right amount?

I personally do not think relax is an action but is a reaction to controlling the elements.

Controlling the elements begins with first understanding pressure. To succeed at a high level, you have to control the pressure.  Using the pressure to create a Heightened visual awareness and reduce the Environmental awareness.

What I do know is great performers, at the point that they achieved greatness, were unaware of their body, unaware of their breathing, unaware of the noise, unaware of things they can’t control and time seems to slow down.   

This Heightened visual awareness begins with being aware of the things they can control.  They one thing they were able to control was their task.  This task may be to react to a visual stimulus, to focus on a visual target, to hit, kick or throw an object to a specific target.  

So my suggestion to you is do not relax,  ramp up your visual awareness to the task at hand.