How To Build Mental Endurance In 2026? (+5 Endurance Hacks)

If any of you have watched the MLB World Series between the Dodgers and the Blue Jays this year, you might be familiar with the long and tiring Game 3. Fans continued to leave the stadium in hordes even as the two teams were battling it out in the 18^th inning. The Dodgers eventually won the game and the series itself, and it got me inspired to write about mental endurance.

Almost all of you know about my strong love for cricket. And this game is undoubtedly a long one. In fact, cricket in its purest form is played across several days, during which players need to keep up their performance not only physically, but mentally also.

Mental endurance is slightly different from mental toughness. While an athlete can be mentally tough, it is not necessary that they might have incredible mental endurance. Endurance requires a person to display all the facets of mental toughness across a long period of time, with changing circumstances and high amount of stress.

I have seen many so-called mentally tough athletes struggle to keep up their strength when the game is going longer than usual or when the situation suddenly changes for the worse. I have also seen a number of athletes who might not be physically the best but have managed to emerge as champions across long formats, all because of their mental endurance. Let’s talk a little more about mental endurance and how you can improve this as an athlete.

How Does Mental Fatigue Affect Your Performance?

For those of you who are learning about mental fatigue, yes, this truly does exist and is quite different from physical fatigue. It can come up during moments when you feel physically tired, such as when you are playing a game which has been going for way longer than it is supposed to, like during extra innings.

But, sometimes mental fatigue can show up when you are not physically fatigued as well. For example, when you are dealing with extreme mental pressure, when you are going through grief, or when you have played through a long season. You might even deal with mental fatigue or fog at various moments of your menstrual cycle.

To understand why mental endurance is important, you need to know the various ways in which mental fatigue affects your sports performance. Some of these effects are:

Getting physically exhausted very quickly
Taking more time to complete a physical task
Lesser amounts of effort
Increased number of errors
Impaired judgement and decision-making
Reduced reaction time
Impaired accuracy of shots

Signs of Mental Fatigue

Now that you know what mental fatigue does to you, let me delve into the different signs that you are experiencing this right now. Mental fatigue can demonstrate itself in a large number of ways, but I have only included a few in this list. If you are curious to learn more about mental fatigue and how you can increase your mental endurance, shoot me an email at mindyourwicket@gmail.com.

Low motivation
Feel disconnected from people and sports
Feeling tired all the time
Low levels of concentration
Need to sleep a lot
Feeling like you have too much on your plate
Timid body language
Inability to enjoy your game

How To Build Mental Endurance In 2026?

Okay, let’s talk about what you can actually do to improve your mental endurance and prevent mental fatigue from setting in for as long as you can. I am going to list five strategies so that you can pick one and try the first week of this new year. At the end of one week of trying the strategy out, take some time to reflect and see if you liked using the strategy and if it actually helped you.

Physical exertion + mental activities: This is definitely one of my favorite go-to’s whenever a client comes asking for mental endurance tips. This strategy basically includes doing a mental activity when you are absolutely physically tired. For example, playing Sudoku after sprint drills.

Visualization: Of course you knew this was coming! Visualization will absolutely help you improve your mental endurance if you practice it regularly. The idea is to visualize yourself doing all the things that an athlete who has high levels of mental endurance would do. This means making snap judgements and performing well under pressure.

Practice with distractions: Introducing distractions into your practice, where you will be super-focused is a great way to improve your mental endurance. If you’re doing this, you can ask someone who trains with you to distract you in between your drills and practice re-focusing before you resume.

Focus on your breathing: Bring your focus to your breathing, the rhythm of your inhales and exhales, every now and then. This will not just help you turn your focus inwards, but also help you rest and recover. By taking a literal breather, you will also be able to improve your physical endurance.

Check in with yourself: Talk to yourself, throughout the day, everyday. Not everyone does this but it can actually be a pretty useful way to be your best cheerleader. Talk actively and positively, using powerful words. Talk to yourself as if you were talking to a teammate who needs your help and guidance all the time, especially during long games. You can also check in at the end of everyday by writing in a journal.

Conclusion

Mental endurance is a crucial skillset you need to build, especially if you’re getting into long-format sports like cricket, marathon running, cycling or golf, or if you’re entering the playoffs for any game. But before that, you need to be aware of what mental fatigue is and what it can do to your performance. By using the strategies I have listed, you will also be able to hold off this fatigue and build endurance over time.

I know this year might not have been the same for everyone. Some of you might have experienced plenty of success, while others may have experienced some sadness and grief. New Year’s Eve brings perhaps one of the greatest gifts of all – hope! There is always hope for a better year ahead, hope for a better ‘YOU’ ahead and hope for more strength in 2026. I wish you all nothing but love, joy and peace for this upcoming year. 🙂