Over February Half Term we went away to France skiing for the week. We try to go every other year and it is one of our most favourite holidays to go on. We totally relax, even though you are physically exhausted from skiing all day. You feel good, alive and rested from work and all the things you need to do.
We had the most amazing time, with a 1m snow dump the day before we arrived and during the day we arrived. It was like a winter wonderland. Cars were abandoned on the sides of the road, cars parked at the resort just looked like huge mounds of snow with no shape of a car left it was so deep. The trees hung low with the weight of the snow and there wasn't a footstep to be seen.
We skied in the sunshine for the rest of the week and it was just perfect conditions, we felt very lucky. The kids improved no end and were leading the way down the mountains by the end of the week. I was the best skier but not anymore, I could barely keep up with them!!
On the 4th day I took a tumble and smacked my head on the hard slope. I don't normally fall but this was pretty impressive. Apparently I did a somersault and then slid on my back, down the slope for about 4 m, before I let my head fall back, when I came to a stop. I was going fast and the ringing in my head was something else. I don't think I have ever hit my head that hard before and I would prefer not to again!! All I could think of as I lay there checking all was ok was thank goodness I had a helmet on. Back in the day, when I learned to ski no one did and it was unusual if you wore a helmet, now thank goodness it is unusual if you don't.
What was interesting was after getting back up I had really lost my confidence. It was like all the years of skiing knowledge and ability had just been taken away, in one moment. I felt shakey and unsure. I didn't want to go fast again. My technique went out the window which then meant I wasn't skiing as well, which then meant I didn't feel as sure on my skis. It was a viscious circle and I needed to break it.
I gave myself a moment, sitting out in the sunshine and focussing on mentally rehersing skiing. I imagined how it felt when I was at the bottom having successfully completed a run. I used my confidence anchor to boost my confidence. I relived the fall knowing that I had done everything right to protect myself, feeling grateful for being ok and understanding what I had done wrong so I wouldn't do it again.
It worked. The next day I woke up much more confident and used my anchor at the top of every slope. I wasn't back to where I was before the fall but I was able to ski again.
I think it is so important to know how to help your mindset when you have these situations thrown at you in life. I couldn't make things completely better straight away but I could make sure that my holiday wasn't effected by my fall.
If you have something that has happened that has knocked you confidence, please remember you have a free call with me whenever you need it to help negotiate your way through it. Here is the link below:
