A Smoothie Routine and Working with Pressure: Cricketer Olivia Rae’s Mental Fitness Tips
Olivia Rae is a Scottish superstar cricketer and coach, here to tell us what a professional athlete does to stay grounded
At Minderful, we love talking to people whose unique experiences can inspire us to look after our own minds better. Chatting to Olivia Rae has been a truly delightful experience. We gathered plenty of expert advice about how to look after our minds from a person whose job is directly impacted by their ability to work well under extreme pressure—and we’re here to share it all.
First, let’s squeeze a little resume in. Olivia Rae has 76 caps for Scotland as a batting and pace bowling all rounder and represented Middlesex first team 2018–2020. Olivia is a level 3 qualified coach (since 2014) and in year 1 of the ECB Level 4 Advanced Coach Course. She runs her own coaching business and volunteers at Mintridge Foundation, where she mentors and enhances young lives through sport. When we picked her brain for insight, she’d just played the first two games of the season after the involuntary hiatus we like to call ‘the lockdown’, which was a great opportunity for Olivia to reflect and double up on her existing mental fitness routine. Here’s what she’s got in her toolbox.
Consistency is King
Every game of cricket is just a game of cricket. The key to stop beating yourself over a bad result is to reframe that experience, so that instead of having good and bad games, you try to perform consistently well. Many people in sports get caught up with the pressure of winning the next match and becoming dependent on that win, that high, which makes the lows even worse. Striving towards performing consistently is much better for mental fitness, and it releases that stress and anxiety surrounding the next match.
There Should Always Be Time for Personal Routines
The busier people are, the more they seem to feel like things are out of their control. Hectic lifestyles bring uncertainty, which invites anxiety. Routines are a necessary part of restoring that feeling of control because while our brains like novelty and challenges, they also require some peace. A steady routine can calm things down and re-establish a much-needed balance when things get stressful.
A good example of that is Olivia’s morning routine, which ticks plenty of boxes. She always makes herself a nutritious smoothie in the morning, which looks after her body and and mind as a positive habit. Her smoothie maker travels wherever she goes and she always tries to stay close to the cricket grounds, so that there aren’t many opportunities to get stressed on the way to a match. Olivia also makes getting enough water and sleep a priority.
Regardless of how much time she needs to spend training and preparing for matches, she also makes time for at least one night out with her family or friends.
Pressure Doesn’t Exist Outside Your Head
Pressure isn’t real. It only exists inside our heads and it really isn’t useful. We’re often far too hard on ourselves, which does the opposite of improving the results we strive for. Actively clearing our minds will remove this imaginary pressure and make a positive change in how we tackle our everyday challenges.
A daily routine will go a long way to provide stability in your self-care, but there are lots of ways to calm down the nerves when anxiety creeps in. Like listening to your favourite tunes or talking to a trusted person about the things that pester you.
When things get overwhelming, try to write all your thoughts down on a piece of paper, which will make the huge problems look more manageable and give you some much-needed perspective. Keeping it cool is much better than giving in to pressure and stress.
If all of that doesn’t help, then just accept your mood as if it was the weather. It’s okay to have a bad day. Not everything is meant to be addressed and resolved straight away. Sometimes you just have to stay in and brave the storm until the skies are clearer.
Volunteering—just do it
Volunteering is a no-brainer for some people, especially those who grew up in a tightly knit community and those surrounded by those who made charity a key part of their life. Olivia was one of those, so volunteering came naturally to her, but the benefits of helping others are universal. Beyond being a successful athlete, it’s given her a sense of purpose, perspective, and a way to stay grounded no matter what happens. Volunteering is another way to take control of a small part of our lives where we can make a difference, which can help us build resilience and joy.
Of course, building a mental fitness routine has been a process of trial and error for Olivia, which means that these might not work for everyone — but you’ll never know if you don’t try.
A Li’l Recap List:
- build a stable routine that can travel with you (like morning smoothies)
- drink enough water and get enough sleep (no excuses)
- always find time for socialising, no matter how busy you are
- strive for consistent performance rather than the next win
- pressure exists purely in your head, so get rid of it
- volunteering has no downsides, but plenty of benefits
