For many shooters, including those new to firearms, going to the shooting range can be overwhelming. While, over time, my visits to the range have become easier at first, they always were stress inducing and caused me a lot of anxiety. This usually led to more negative range experiences than positive ones. Looking back, I think a lot of my anxiety came from the pressure I felt to get everything right. It was probably the information overload of all the ‘checks’ that I needed to do as I prepared to shoot. From my stance, to posture, to grip, and sites – it’s a lot to mentally check-off. Not to mention adhering to the rules of gun safety. To overcome this, I started practicing the following tips:

• Tuning Out the Range Noise/Fear: This was my hardest area to overcome because I couldn’t just ignore the sound. An SMT reader actually suggested that I use both in-ears and ear muffs as that will help suppress some of the shock factor. It really did work! I now use in-ear plugs with electronic ear protection. The electronic ears do a good job of suppressing the loud gun shots but still makes conversation easy to hear. Don’t worry if you don’t have electronic ear protection as regular ear protection will work just as well.

• Relax & Breathe: I found myself tensing up when I entered the shooting range. The thought of being enclosed in a room full of people shooting guns didn’t sit well with me. I noticed I was holding a lot of that tension in my shoulders by shrugging them up to my ears. Long, deep breathes in through my nose and out through my mouth helped relax my body but I could still maintain a firm and steady stance. An easy way to remember this is to write a reminder note to “relax and breathe” that can be visible in your lane. Alternatively, if you’re at the range with a friend ask her to take notice if you’re tensing up and remind you to take a few deep breathes.

• Shooting Blind: Ok, this isn’t what it sounds like. Basically, I need to act as if I have blinders on. I found myself subconsciously comparing myself to the shooter in the lane next to me. Other times I felt like everyone at the range was staring at me. I’d rush my shots, grip the handle too tight, or let it get in my head. By mentally putting on my blinders I can block all of that out. It doesn’t matter if there is a girl next to me shooting a bigger caliber gun, if someone is watching me, or how someone else is shooting. Remember that you’re at the range to better yourself and you don’t need to concern yourself with other shooters. Everyone is at the range for a different reason and all that matters is that you go and do your best.

Going to the range should be an enjoyable experience. If it’s not, then you probably won’t go and you’re missing out on opportunities to become a better shooter. If you find yourself struggling with anxiety or stress when going to the range, I hope these easy tips can help you liked they helped me. I want you to know that I’m here to help you on your journey to becoming self-reliant.