The day after a heavy lift is always a slightly quieter day for me. I know this now and was reminded of it again by a friend this morning; the nervous system takes a hit and needs time to restore itself and this slightly down or quiet feeling is actually restorative. I’m enjoying today. It’s peaceful.

I was sitting this morning and thinking calmly about Nationals and my own tendency to get wrapped up in worry about things that really aren’t my responsibility and lists sort of happened.

I really like lists.

I come from a long line of List Makers and it is a skill that has served us well. So here are my lists, posted here in case they help anyone else, especially newer lifters. I think if I’d had these lists when I started I might have benefited. Or not. Maybe some of it is stuff you have to learn as you go anyway.

1. my nutrition – since I’m lifting up a weight class I need to make sure I eat enough and of good quality

2. my performance of training to the best of my ability leading up

3. my attention to what I need to do to sleep

4. my coping with stress in healthy ways

5. my personal clarity re: goals and priorities for the meet

6. my mental preparation for the event

7. my organization of gear and food timing for the meet

8. my attempt selection, in consultation with my coach – it is *my* responsibility to put up a total

9. my own technical focus and attention to the setup of each lift

10. my reaction to unexpected events

11. my putting this event in perspective – it is neither the beginning nor the end of anything

12. my own reaction to any results achieved

13. my reaction to the successes of others, regardless of my own performance – sportsmanship counts for everything

14. my behaviour towards the spotters, loaders, organizers, officials, and other lifters

1. the expectations and hopes of friends and family

2. the expectations and hopes of my coach and teammates

3. the results of others (even/especially those who place ahead of me)

4. any external factors that may affect the day of the meet – I do not need to worry about them, I need only roll with them and adapt where necessary as best possible

5. the worries, opinions, or even accolades or best wishes of other people and any sense of obligation or expectation those entail (I’ll pick those last ones up after, and enjoy them when I can better cope with them emotionally)

6. the performance of other people on the days of my competition

7. the attitudes, emotional state, and behaviour or other competitors or coaches

8. the referees – they have a job to do and I respect that and leave them to it

9. worry about the reactions of other people to my outcomes

10. worry about consequences of outcome – there will ALWAYS be another meet. Always.