Now that spring is upon us, I am at a nice, comfortable distance from the new skill that I tried to pick up over the winter months; snowboarding!

I have never been a fan of winter, a fan of being outside in the cold, or a fan of throwing myself down a hill at high speeds. Yet, there I was at the start of January, strapping into a snowboard for my first ever snowboarding lesson.

For eight weeks, I would show up at my lesson vacillating between fear, frustration, and the occasional glimpse of fun. Here are some of the things that I learned (or was reminded of again and again!):

When you’re anxious, do some deep breathing. As anxiety increases, our bodies tense up and our breathing becomes more shallow. By consciously switching to deep breathing, our bodies begin to relax. I would notice that I would be holding my breath as I was going down the hill and would have to remind myself to breathe. Now when I’m at the top of the hill, I begin by doing some deep breathing.
Visualize yourself doing a new skill or doing something that creates anxiety. By being able to practice in your mind, you begin to feel a bit more comfortable. Elite athletes use visualization as a way to mentally prepare for an event. This can be used before any activity, whether physical, giving a presentation at work, or even something like a medical procedure.
Set small goals. Frustration is more likely to build if you have set goals that are unrealistic or too big given your starting point. Set goals that you feel 90-95% confident that you will be able to meet. Once you’ve met the goal, celebrate and set a new goal!
Be okay with making mistakes and failing (and falling!). One of my biggest fears was falling and injuring my tailbone (due to multiple horror stories that were shared with me about falling and injuring tailbones.) Sure enough, on my first run without my instructor, I fell and hurt my tailbone. I made my way down the hill, unstrapped my board and mentally quit. I was done. However, after a few hours, I acknowledged that this was part of the process. I would fall, I would even hurt myself, but that was part of the process.
Look to others for support and encouragement. I had amazing cheerleaders during my learning process; my instructors, my family, my friends and even random strangers on the chair lift who would notice my apprehension. I’m sure that I would have given up on my first day if it wasn’t the kind words of someone reminding me that what I was doing was challenging and that I would eventually get it.

Now that the snow has melted, my board is stored away and I am a good 9-10 months away from the next snowboarding season, I am so grateful that I had this opportunity. It gave me the chance to practice what I preach. Regardless of whether it’s learning to snowboard, or coping with the struggles of being a new mom, working through relationship difficulties or being away from home at school for the first time, these lessons are universal!