Dealing with Stress in Sports: Lessons from the Stoics

Stress is inevitable in both sports and life. Whether it’s the pressure of a big game, a slump, or personal challenges off the field, athletes often find themselves battling the weight of high expectations and uncertainty. But just like the ancient Stoics, we can learn to control how we respond to stress, transforming it from a burden into an opportunity for growth.

As Ryan Holiday explains in The Daily Stoic, the great Stoics like Zeno, Cleanthes, Seneca, Epictetus, and Marcus Aurelius all faced tremendous stress. They experienced hardships ranging from shipwrecks and exile to working under dangerous rulers and dealing with plagues. Yet, while stress was an inevitable part of their lives, they didn’t let it dominate their minds.

The Stoics understood something crucial: Stress is external, but suffering is internal. The friction of conflicting obligations, pain, or failure doesn’t have to spiral into emotional suffering. It’s a mindset, and that’s exactly what we talk about with Major League Mindset—how athletes can master their mental state even in the face of stress.

In sports, just like in life, pressure builds in moments of uncertainty: when you’re standing on the mound, the bases are loaded, or you’ve struck out for the third time that day. The key to handling those moments is to remind yourself of what truly matters, much like the Stoics did with their mementos.

Seneca kept a bronze mirror to remind him of his mortality, grounding himself in the bigger picture. In sports, we can create our own mental cues—small reminders of the mindset and principles we live by. This could be something simple like resetting with a breath before each pitch or repeating a positive mantra after a mistake. The Major League Mindset program introduces these “solutions” as tools for athletes to use to stay mentally tough in tough moments.

The Stoic philosopher Epictetus dealt with thirty years of exile, and yet he chose to keep things in perspective. After his expensive lamp was stolen, he replaced it with a simple clay one as a reminder to avoid attachment to material things. As athletes, we can adopt a similar mentality when things go wrong. Maybe you have a bad game, or the season doesn’t go as planned, but your value and worth don’t come from a single result. They come from the process, the work you put in, and how you bounce back from adversity. The Major League Mindset program teaches athletes to focus on these controllables—effort, attitude, and response—rather than being consumed by outcomes.

In Major League Mindset, we teach that mental preparation is the key to controlling your response in high-pressure moments. When stress and external pressures hit, it’s easy for your thoughts to spiral out of control. But, like the Stoics, athletes can create systems to pull themselves back to the present. One simple tool we recommend is journaling—writing down the "Well, Better, Adjustments" framework after games. It helps athletes shift focus from stress and mistakes to improvement and progress, providing clarity in the middle of uncertainty. 

The Stoics also believed in keeping guidance "ready at hand." Epictetus’s teachings were compiled into a book called The Enchiridion, which Stoics could carry with them for quick guidance. Similarly, athletes should have their mental tools—whether it’s a breathwork routine, a mantra, or visualization exercises—ready to use when stress peaks. The Major League Mindset program ensures that athletes are equipped with these mental tools so they can remain in control and thrive in high-pressure situations.

Ultimately, stress comes with athletics and life. It’s the weight of competition, the uncertainty of outcomes, and the friction that comes with striving for greatness. But suffering doesn’t have to follow. By mastering our mindset, creating mental tools, and maintaining perspective, we can navigate stress like the Stoics did—by using it as a catalyst for growth, not as a source of suffering.

By adopting these strategies, you can turn stress into an opportunity to grow and perform at your best, no matter the circumstances.

Curious to discover how timeless life lessons from ancient Stoics still apply today? I highly recommend checking out Ryan Holiday’s books for deeper insights into The Daily Stoic and how these principles can guide us in modern life, both on and off the field!