Olympian OliviaSmoliga says meditation helps calm her thoughts and improve her self-confidence. 'You just kind of flow a lot easier through life. You don't get caught up as easy.'
Olivia Smoliga walked out on deck at the 2019 World Aquatics Championships, looked up at the crowd, and felt the nerves hit. It was strange — she'd swam in front of huge crowds before, including at the Rio 2016 Olympics, where she won a gold in the 4x100 medley relay. But for some reason, it hit differently that day in Gwangju, South Korea."Just this unnecessary pressure," she remembered.
A few days later, Smoliga earned her first ever long-course world championship medal, a bronze in the 100 meter backstroke. Despite her triumph, anxious thoughts rushed through her head during and after the race."It was just fear of wanting to finish the race well, wanting to medal," she said."Just this overwhelming anxiety."
Smoliga had dealt with anxiety during competitions before, including at the Olympics, but what ultimately made those 2019 Worlds stand out was how she adjusted in time for her 50-meter backstroke race three days later."I had to just calm my mind down" and relax, she remembered."I had to kind of learn on the fly." It worked. Smoliga won gold in the 50m back, her first world championship title.
What changed in those three days? Smoliga, 26, said it was a realization: that she'll always experience negativity, whether it comes from within or outside of her mind."It's how you respond to it," she said,"how you're able to kind of transmute it into something positive."
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