Laura Enever On Standing Her Ground And Stepping Away From Pro Surfing | Men's Health Magazine Australia

Laura Enever On Standing Her Ground And Stepping Away From Pro Surfing

With mounting expectations to constantly do more, win more and be more than she felt she could, “It became too much,” Laura recalls. Young and insecure, she began to suffer crippling anxiety and panic attacks. For eight contests in a row, she was unable to progress beyond the first heat and the mental load was […]

With mounting expectations to constantly do more, win more and be more than she felt she could, “It became too much,” Laura recalls. Young and insecure, she began to suffer crippling anxiety and panic attacks. For eight contests in a row, she was unable to progress beyond the first heat and the mental load was taking its toll. She was unravelling and she knew it.

After seeking help from a sports psychologist Laura made a move that surprised many. She took the decision to step away from surfing to reset and clear her head. “In the face of crippling stress and a whirlwind of people telling me what to do, I had to stand my ground,” she says. “If I could tell the younger me anything, I’d tell her: You need to know how courageous you are for doing that. Because since then, you’re the happiest you’ve ever been.”

Now with the benefit of hindsight, Laura often ponders what she’d tell her younger self about this challenging time. “It was a brave move, the right move,” she says. Finding that courage at such a vulnerable time was incredibly hard, she recalls. “I’d tell myself: I’m forever proud of you for making that call and standing your ground.”

After stepping away, Laura found the breathing space she needed to reconnect with the ocean and, in 2016 using borrowed gear, she surfed Jaws in Maui for the first time. She went ‘over the falls’ in an epic wipeout, but far from feeling defeated she found it exhilarating. The experience reinvigorated her love of surfing and Laura Enever, the young ‘grom’ from Narrabeen was reborn. Today, she’s philosophical about her challenges. “I really believe that everything happens for a reason,” she says. “Now my connection to the ocean has never been stronger, and in turn I’ve found my voice and my identity.”

Is there any final advice she’d give her younger self? “Remember why you fell in love with surfing in the first place. The thrill of riding a wave is the only feeling that matters. Forget the critics, forget the expectations and the results. They don’t define you. It’s just you and the ocean.”

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