How to Deal with Golf Stress and Enjoy the Game

What is the heck is golf stress? Golf stress is the result of getting too emotionally caught up in the game. If you've ever played a game that caused you to become frustated and angry, then you know what I'm talking about. Playing a "bad" round of golf can bring up many negative beliefs that people have about their ability to be successful. Wouldn't it be nice to clear away those negative beliefs and emotions and enjoy the game?

If you've been playing golf for any length of time, it's likely that you played more than a few rounds that have been gratifying and enjoyable. And, it's likely that there are times where your game feels like you're pushing a boulder uphill. It feels as though you've got your batteries in backwards and from the very first hole, you've been playing a very poor game. What has happened is that because you got "off on the wrong foot" from the first hole, your mindset has been set up for failure for the rest of your game because you allowed your frustration to get to you. Perhaps you even engaged in negative mind chatter, telling yourself that you can't do anything right.

So, rather than golf being a stress relief for you, it has increased your stress and reduced your enjoyment of the game. What can you do about it? First and foremost, go easy on yourself. If you beat yourself up for your failures on the golf course, your confidence is affected and other areas of your life can be affected as well, such as your performance at work. If you are playing a "bad game", take into consideration other factors that may be affecting you. For example, the weather can negatively impact your game. Wind can have a significant effect on how your ball travels.

Other ways to relieve golf stress include mindfulness based techniques. To be mindful is to become an observer of your thoughts rather than a victim of them. So, if you're having a bad game and you notice that your thoughts are critical of yourself, recognize them for what they are - just thoughts and not statements of fact. Then shift your focus to your other senses. Notice the sights and sounds of nature around you - the sounds of the birds chirping and the warmth of the sun on your skin.

What if there was a way that you could feel confident and experience a reduced level of golf stress more often? A method known as Emotional Freedom Techniques or EFT may be the answer for you. EFT is quickly becoming known as a cutting edge self help technique for anyone wanting to improve any area of their life - from overcoming an addiction to improving sales performance to releasing a spider phobia. What's great is that this tool can be used to improve your golf game by working on the negative emotions and limiting beliefs which cause you to feel stressed in the first place. When those things are released, you will automatically feel more confident and relaxed whether playing golf or in business.