You Don’t Have to Be an Athlete to Train Your Mind Like One
Physical preparation matters, but mental preparation can determine whether we’re able to access it under pressure. An Olympic sports psychologist and Philippine national athlete explain why—and what the rest of us can learn from them.
I can still vividly remember my first encounter with defeat. It was during one of my earlier volleyball matches as a varsity athlete. We were on the brink of losing, it was match point, when our coach called a timeout.
I expected instructions, perhaps a new attack or defense pattern that might change the course of the game. Instead, our coach gave us one simple instruction: “Relax.” At the time, I didn’t understand it. Why talk about our state of mind when there was a game to save?
Years later, I understand the thinking differently.
Strategy and technique definitely matter, especially at the highest levels of sport. But knowing what to do based on countless hours of practice and being able to execute it on game day, under immense pressure are two different things. When the body is trained and a huge game is on the line, the ability to manage fear, pressure, and self-doubt becomes a huge part of the performance itself.
That raises a bigger question. How much of an elite athlete’s performance is physical, and how much depends on the mind? Because while most of us aren’t exactly competing for medals and podiums on a daily basis, a better understanding of how to handle pressure and setbacks in everyday life is something that we all can benefit from.
In an exclusive interview, Allure Philippines speaks with Philippine National Team fencer and licensed occupational therapist Janna Catantan, OTRP, and sports psychologist Karen Katrina Trinidad, Ph.D., RPsy, to uncover what elite athletes understand about the mind-body connection that the rest of us can apply to our own lives.
Images courtesy of Janna Catantan and Dr. Karen Katrina Trinidad. IG: @jannallysh and @dockarentrinidad
Training the mind is part of the entire performance
When Filipino weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz won her historic Olympic gold medal, she had an entire team, dubbed “Team HD,” to guide her Olympic journey. It included a head coach, a strength and conditioning coach, a sports nutritionist, and sports psychologist Dr. Trinidad.
One of the greatest lessons Dr. Trinidad learned from that experience was that physical and mental preparation have to work together. “An athlete may possess exceptional strength, technical ability, and years of training, but when the pressure is at its highest, it is often the mind that determines whether those physical abilities can be fully expressed,” she explains.
Working with Diaz for the Olympics also gave Dr. Trinidad a closer understanding of what performing on the global stage requires. “It is built on the ability to remain composed despite uncertainty, trust years of preparation, and continue performing even when fear and pressure are present,” she says. “Mental endurance is not the absence of anxiety. It is the capacity to keep moving forward despite it.”
Catantan who is a national athlete shares with Allure Philippines that she has also seen the value of psychological preparation as part of her training. A sports psychologist is also included in her coaching staff, giving her access to support if need be. “How you train your mind affects a lot on how you [perform] physically,” she shares.
Both Dr. Trinidad and Catantan recognize how physical training and mental conditioning are not mutually exclusive but rather connected. Beyond the court, the parallel is familiar. Preparation can get us to the moment, but how we respond once we’re there determines what happens next.
Pressure and self-doubt are part of the process
Catantan’s years in her sport have also come with setbacks, including ankle injuries that affected how she approached certain movements. “There were times I was hesitant to do a specific movement or to really [give my] 100%,” she says. She shared having experienced an ankle sprain before makes her more prone to getting injured again.
Learning how to respond to circumstances is something elite athletes have to learn. “Resilience is developed long before the competition itself,” says Dr. Trinidad. Setbacks like injuries can allow athletes to strengthen their confidence, emotional control, and perseverance.
But that doesn’t mean you have to ignore your fears or force yourself to feign confidence. Dr. Trinidad shares that she teaches her athletes to direct their attention on what they can control. “Instead of constantly thinking about winning medals or meeting expectations, athletes learn to focus on the actions they can control: breathing, routines, technique, effort, and decision-making in the present moment,” she continues.
The goal then is not to eliminate these emotions but learn how to develop a healthier relationship with them. Catantan takes a similar approach. “Crying doesn’t mean you’re weak,” she says. “I take time to really process my emotions.”
Consistent performers are often the most mentally prepared
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It is easy to pin an athlete’s success or anybody’s success even, to immense talent alone, but Dr. Trinidad debunks this by saying that “Consistent performers are rarely the most talented alone; they are often the most mentally prepared.” Dr. Trinidad expounds that elite athletes focus on what they can control, recover quickly from mistakes, and regulate their emotions.
For Catantan, creating consistency means finding structure in her life. She shares a simple trick, “I usually have [a] calendar, and then [I plot] what do I need to do for this day?” Maintaining balance is often easier said than done, but Catantan says it creates a sense of fulfillment.
“Motivation naturally rises and falls. What sustains excellence is commitment to daily habits,” Dr Trinidad emphasizes. Even outside of sports, mental preparation can be woven into our everyday habits that allow us to show up and in turn keep going.
What elite athletes can teach us about balance and recovery
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The lessons from sports extend far beyond competition—the same principles that help athletes navigate pressure and setbacks can also shape how we approach our relationship with wellness, especially at a time when things are moving too fast.
Dr. Trinidad offers a quick question to help everyone get a quick change of perspective. “Progress is rarely linear, and setbacks do not mean failure. Instead of asking, ‘Why did I fail?’” She encourages people to flip the script. “‘What can I learn, and how can I get back on track?’”
Catantan offers the same understanding. She believes in “finding balance in everything you do,” which means getting in touch with your emotions, your responsibilities, and even making rest a part of the entire routine as an easy way to recharge.
Peak performance, then, is not just a concern for elite athletes, it is also a way of approaching the moments that demand the most from us—with preparation and resilience.
As Dr. Trinidad puts it, “Whether we are athletes, professionals, students, or parents, we all perform every day in different arenas of life. Building mental resilience allows us not only to achieve our goals but also to enjoy the journey, adapt to setbacks, and live healthier, more meaningful lives.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Mental preparation determines whether an athlete’s physical training can be fully expressed under pressure. Sports psychologists note that composure, trust in preparation, and the ability to keep performing despite fear and anxiety often separate consistent performers from those who falter on game day.
Mental resilience is the capacity to keep moving forward despite fear or anxiety, not the absence of those emotions. It’s built through repeated exposure to pressure and setbacks, like injury recovery, which strengthen an athlete’s confidence, emotional control, and perseverance over time.
Athletes are trained to direct attention toward what they can control—breathing, routines, technique, and effort—rather than outcomes like winning or expectations. Processing emotions, including moments of self-doubt or crying, is treated as part of the process, not a weakness.
Consistency depends less on raw talent and more on mental preparation. Consistent performers focus on controllable factors, recover quickly from mistakes, regulate their emotions, and commit to daily habits and structure, since motivation alone naturally rises and falls.
Yes. The same principles athletes use—focusing on controllable actions, reframing failure as a learning opportunity, and building daily habits—apply to professionals, students, and parents navigating pressure in their own “arenas of life,” according to sports psychology experts.
