Category: Mind set

When it comes to head games in kayaking I am my own worst enemy. One of the greatest obstacles that I have to deal with is when negative thoughts about my kayaking or even myself come into my head whilst I am on the water. These thoughts have the potential to affect my river time so greatly that two things usually occur. The first is that I stop enjoying myself. The second is that my paddling actually gets worse because of it. My whole motivation for kayaking is because I enjoy it so if something gets in the way of that, it needs to be addressed. I came up with a list of my most frequent negative thoughts and how I dealt with them. I then asked people what negative thoughts they themselves experienced whilst on the water. I was amazed at the response I received to this question. It was clear from the replies I was getting that there were some strong common themes and many of the answers actually matched my own list. So I decided to address three of the most prevalent negative thoughts along with how I have learned to deal with these thoughts whilst kayaking.

‘What happens if you fall over?’ is a question I am often asked when trying to explain what whitewater kayaking is to non-kayaking friends. I would usually respond by describing what a roll is. Of course rolling back up after capsizing your kayak isn’t the only possible outcome. If you are wondering what another option might be, it is of course the swim! For a water based sport, I have always been surprised by the variation in attitudes when it comes to swimming out of your kayak. As someone who has had many, many (I’m really not exaggerating), many swims, I feel I should share some of my thoughts on the matter.

As a kayaker and an outdoors enthusiast, I completely understand how important exercise, adventuring and being outdoors is for people’s mental health. Since starting kayaking, getting out on the water has played a fundamental role in my happiness and well being. Part of the reason I enjoy my sport is because it helps me to manage the stresses in my life. We are currently in a stressful situation and just as everybody’s personal circumstances are different, their coping mechanisms will also be different. But for those of us who use sports to regulate our emotions, the fact that we are currently unable to engage in that sport can leave us feeling particularly blue. Rather than letting it get to me, I have tried to refocus my energies during this time on other things which are helping me to stay positive. As many of these are specific to me as a a kayaker, I thought I would share some with others. Whether you are a fellow paddler, an outdoors lover or just someone who is feeling a little sad right now, please feel free to read on if you think it may help you.