Select a region
Meditation app Calm is now offering a special exercise devised to help football fans cope with the stress of a penalty shootout.
The app is to offer a three-minute breathing exercise that is designed to be used in the short interval between the end of extra time and the start of the shootout.
A second, 10-minute meditation is also available to be used during the shootout.
“The most anxious part of any World Cup – perhaps of any sport – is the penalty shootout,” Calm co-founder Michael Acton Smith said.
“This is when we hide our eyes and watch through our fingers.”
Calm says the new meditation revolves around two things – focusing on our breath, which pulls us into the present moment and avoiding future-based thoughts and the anxiety they can create.
The relaxation app said that the new meditations are primarily designed for fans rather than players, but the basic idea of focusing on breathing and living in the moment could still be useful to them.
Acton Smith even argues that compared to fans, players taking part actually have it easier.
“They, at least, are masters of their fate,” he said.
“All we fans can do is watch. And many of us can’t even bear to do that.”
