On Par
Mindful Breathing Technique to Manage Emotions
When we are anxious or stressed about something, our bodies go into fight or flight mode; basically, we
go into alarm mode. Invariably, there will be times on the golf course when we could overestimate the
severity of a situation – ball in a bunker, water hazard, or an out-of-bounds shot.
Basically, we have two systems in our bodies we should know about when it comes to stress response
– the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system.
Fig. 4 illustrates the functions of the two systems.
SYMPATHETIC NERVOUS SYSTEM
- Fight or Flight
•
•
•
•
•
Dilates pupils
Dries mouth
Raises heart rate
Tenses muscles
Opens airways in lungs
PARASYMPATHETIC NERVOUS SYSTEM
- Rest and Relax
•
•
•
•
•
Contracts pupils
Stimulates saliva
Slows heart rate
Relaxes muscles
Constricts airways
One useful technique that is often used to deactivate the sympathetic nervous system and activate the
parasympathetic nervous system is mindful breathing. And it is so simple.
Fig. 5 Mindful Breathing
Focus on
your breath
Inhale Deeply
through your
nostrils (3 seconds)
Hold your breath
(2 seconds)
Exhale deeply
(4 seconds)
Repeat cycle till
you feel relaxed
You can do this whilst you are standing or seated. But the key here is to keep practising it!
With that, we have come to the end of this series on Golf Psychology. I hope you have derived some
insights from the articles and apply these while you are on the golf course. As they say, practice makes
perfect. So do persevere, and may you continue to enjoy your game.
10 RESORT VIEW