229 Line Thams and PTSD - Navigating Adversity and Meeting Stress

Jul 27, 2022

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Matt welcomes Purple Patch Pro Athlete, Line Thams, to the Podcast.

Thams is a professional triathlete from Denmark, focusing on short-course ITU racing.

She sits down with Matt to provide insight into dealing with stress and adversity. Thams shares her own story of coping with family tragedy and trauma and how to leverage adversity to emerge stronger in sport and life.

Over the last few years, Thams has had to navigate her mother’s stroke and subsequent coma, her partner's battle with cancer, and the physical and emotional trauma of a major bike crash that crippled her confidence and almost ended her athletic career.

Line frames her approach and the mindset she applies to move beyond the obstacles of the unexpected and provides valuable insight into formulating a plan of actionable steps towards recovery.

It is an inspiring story of resilience for anyone looking to manage, control, and emerge from the sometimes overwhelming weight of stress in their life.

Together, Matt and Line discuss the following themes:

Learning to identify, accept and live with uncontrollables

(19:50) “I've heard it's so unfair..that's probably also a lesson we can take out from this is that life is not always fair. And if we grip - dwell too much on feeling that we are in this unfair situation, at least for too long, then we will be blind on what we can actually do.”

Enacting actionable behavior - adapting to the challenges
Developing an adversity mindset - applying positive and productive energy

(55:12)“There's a 99% likelihood it could be worse. And to quote Gary Vee, 1 billion people don't have access to clean water…I still wake up in a soft bed, I can make myself a triple Espresso from very good coffee machine, if that's what I want. My friends and family are here, I can go out and ride my bike with my teammates…But it could be worse and this too shall pass. c'est la vie and this too shall pass.”

Avoiding stagnant thinking- refocusing perspective toward the positive.

(47:30)“It only feels stressful, if I'm caught up in the future, or the past, because, you know, like either be worried about what we haven't done or being overwhelmed by how on earth, we're going to make it into the future that we aim for. And I think, like happiness is also about letting go of what you thought your life was supposed to be, and just embracing where you are right now. And I think if we're stressed, we're not actually present. And if we're not present, we can also not be, like, truly happy."

The power of community - reaching out and letting others in
Defining success in the face of adversity

"(38:54)The road to success for me comes down to kind of the personal journey...on the journey, you will get tested and you will get challenges...when you meet the challenge...and look it in the eyes, then I also think that you will grow from it and you will better yourself. And to me that is success.

Key lessons from Line’s personal experiences - coming back from catastrophe