This new article took its time to come to light, mainly because I spent the last month in China and also dedicated 98% of my free time to finishing the app I’m developing for training management in Canoe Slalom. That said, let’s begin.
The absence of worry is a negative definition of the optimal mental state for an athlete aiming to perform at the highest level.
That’s how the words of Josean Arruza echo in my memory—he is my reference when it comes to improving mental management in competition—when he spoke to us about strategies to enhance it.
This seemingly simple sentence contains a conceptual core of great relevance for understanding the psychological mechanisms at play in elite performance. Its analysis offers a pathway for reflecting on how we think about concentration, attention, and emotional control in high-pressure environments. By the way, the expression “negative definition” (one I like to use often because it’s how my mind simplifies the complex problems it faces) refers to a conceptual strategy that describes a phenomenon by what it is not. In this case, the desired mental state is defined not by the presence of something (euphoria, motivation, confidence), but by the absence of an obstacle: worry.
Why speak of absence rather than presence?
In performance psychology, there’s a persistent temptation to associate optimal states with positive attributes: being focused, feeling confident, motivated, secure. But these traits can fluctuate rapidly during competition. What this sentence proposes—indirectly—is a more stable and realistic redefinition: it is not necessary to feel particularly good in order to perform, but it is essential not to be worried.
Worry introduces noise in our heads, generating doubt, negative anticipation, and distractions. In the terms of psychologist Daniel Kahneman (another author I love to quote), worry activates System 2—the slow, analytical, and effortful type of thinking—precisely when what’s needed is the smooth functioning of System 1: intuitive, fast, automatic, expert.
An athlete who has trained certain technical skills for years must be able to execute them without conscious interference. High performance happens when the body “knows” what to do without the mind getting in the way. Worry breaks this bodily autonomy and reintroduces cognitive control, which paradoxically sabotages performance.
The absence of worry doesn’t mean indifference. It implies a quiet kind of confidence, where there’s no need to control, review, or correct every action. It’s the capacity to be present—without judgment, without expectations.
This negative formulation—“absence of worry”—offers a practical advantage for both coaches and athletes: it allows for interventions that don’t aim to achieve an ideal emotional state, but rather to neutralize mental interference. Training to not worry is more accessible than trying to artificially manufacture motivation or self-confidence.
In fact, many athletes find their best version not when they feel great, but when they stop thinking about how they feel. In those moments, the mind isn’t caught up in itself—it’s clear, free to let the body act efficiently.
As we used to do with Arruza, planning tasks as milestones along the final stretch toward the starting line is the best way to keep our thinking aligned, fostering mental presence in what is simple, straightforward, and close at hand.
