Did you know that fearful thoughts actually attract more fear? Fear can feel MASSIVE, but it can be overcome, controlled and can even be used a power for success.

As skaters, we know our hobby may seem scary to the average person and yet we still do it. Why? Because we have a perspective to the fear. It’s when we lose that perspective, that things start to become too big, and too scary. 

It can be easy for our brains to forget in those instances the amount of self growth or accomplishment that can come out of doing things that challenge and scare us, and it’s also easy to avoid doing the scary thing altogether – I mean, if we can choose to NOT put ourselves into risky situations, then why would we?!

Because our world expands as our courage expands!
Pushing ourselves out of our comfort zones is vital for personal success and achievement. With that in mind, here are 5 of our favourite tips to help shape our mindset when skating…

TURN WORRY INTO COURAGE

When those doubtful fears enter your mind (and they will!) instead of letting them stew into an internal battle of “OHMYGODNOWAY”, try to turn those negative thoughts in to positive ones. 

Instead of thinking “I definitely can’t do this”, speak kindly and tell yourself, ‘I’ve got this’. Try listing a few reasons why you are prepared to tackle whatever lies ahead. 

For example; “I can do this, I have warmed up, I have landed XYZ before, I know how to do this”.

BE INSPIRED BY OTHERS

Finding inspiration and encouragement from others is a great way to remind yourself of the possibilities and opportunities that can open up when fears are overcome. Think about others that have been through your situation and succeeded, and use those stories as motivation to tackle yours. 

Another good tip when you are learning a trick is to think of a skater who is great at doing the trick you want to try – how do they look when they are skating? What foot positions, body shape or arm movements do they make as they are doing the trick? Try to encompass their energy and get into a similar mindset.

HOLD A HAND

Even though we know that most of the time our fears are unfounded, often it is only when we are offered reassurance, encouragement, lack of judgement and safety, that we can let go and get through our fears.

It’s important to remember that fear is simply part of the journey, and NOT the final destination. 

Never feel guilty about asking for help. We have ALL been there! As a skate coach, it is my job to hold both the metaphorical and the real life hand to enable and motivate someone to face a fear; whether that’s learning to drop in or even just step on to a board for the first time. When we get to help other people, we feel valued and respected, (and get a good dose of positive chemicals too!) Your fear, and your determination to fight it, can help someone else in return. We are all in this together!

FIND A MOMENT OF CALM

Being fearless isn’t just about showing up and doing the scary thing regardless of how you feel, being brave is also about recognising and utilising ways in which you can emotionally process your fears in order to keep on going.

The brain is much quicker at resolving problems and finding motivation when we are calm, so whether that’s going for a walk, speaking to a friend or just taking a quiet 10 minutes to reset, finding your own techniques or strategies to combat fear will help you to muster courage in the moments you need it most.

TAKE BACK POWER

It’s not often we take the time to really appreciate how far we have come, how much we have achieved or what we are capable of. Take a moment to remind yourself, write a list, make a photo album on your phone of clips where you’ve absolutely smashed it, and look at it whenever you need an extra boost of motivation.

By reminding ourselves of past situations where we overcame a fear; both the nervousness before and the feelings of triumph after, we can hijack our brain and give it a double shot of “fuck yeah I can do this!”

At The Skate Retreat we teach our guests to think of overcoming fears and landing new tricks like unlocking new video game levels – because when tackled head on, fear often bring us out the other side with new skill sets that help us with future challenges.

We have curated a series of workshops to help you get more out of our skateboarding – no matter where on the journey you are! Choose from Confidence Building, Beginners, Basics, Skills or Advanced. We also run sessions for couples, families and private groups too – get in touch if you’d love to overcome a fear this summer!

If you love the sound of our workshops, don’t forget to check out our annual 3 day Skate Retreats coming up this October – 4 different retreats will be held across 2 weeks in a private 42 acre woodland – with bespoke skate ramps, professional coaching, glamping huts, live set from Girli Music, on site masseuse, reiki, and nature connection workshops and loads loads more – beginner and experienced skaters welcome!

So… when was the last time you did something scary?