Steve Hooker has been taken aback by the support he's received since revealing his confidence issues and still believes he can make it to the Olympics to defend his pole vault title.
The Australian, who won gold in Beijing in 2008 with a vault of 5.96 metres, announced on Thursday he was taking time away from competition to deal with performance anxiety.
With London 2012 less than six months away, those issues have left Hooker with an uphill battle to return in time to qualify for his third Olympics.
Hooker, is hoping to return to competition in May, must meet the 5.78m A qualifying mark - a far cry from his 5.00m best in an event in Adelaide a fortnight ago - at a sanctioned event before June 11 to ensure his spot in the Olympic team.
But the 29-year-old also reportedly could make it to London at Athletics Australia's discretion because he has posted a B qualifying mark since May 2011.
Hooker says his only focus now is ensuring he could return to his best as quickly as possible.
He said: "You need to build an Olympic campaign off a solid base and that base wasn't there yet, so we're going back to basics.
"We're looking at the big picture. Things were progressing okay but it wasn't solid. I think Adelaide was a pretty good snapshot of where I was at.
"We thought the risk was if we kept going through the season the problems that I've been having would degenerate and get worse and not have enough time to try to get another proper preparation in to compete again and try to qualify.
"I think I can [qualify for the Olympics]. I've got more support than I could possibly have imagined and I believe I can do it."
Hooker said the decision to take a break from competition had been made by his long-time coach Alex Parnov.
"It was kind of out of my hand, it was Alex's decision to shut things down. I'm following his advice and I think it's good advice," added Hooker.
"Sometimes I run in and I don't take off, it's as simple as that. There's a feeling like you can be lost on the runway, not comfortable or you've just got too many thoughts in your head and it just doesn't happen...but I'm confident I can work through it."
Earlier on Thursday, Hooker revealed: "My auto-pilot is not working at the moment. That could be the simplest way to explain the position I find myself in right now and the reason why I won't be competing again this domestic season.
"The confidence I require to stand at the end of the runway and then charge down, land my pole and soar almost six metres into the air has left me for the time being."
Previous winner of every major athletics title - Commonwealth Games, World Championships, World Indoor Championships and Olympics - Hooker conceded his crisis of confidence is a major worry.
He said: "I'm nervous because I desperately want to defend my crown in London. I want to be there with my teammates. Thankfully, I believe it's achievable.
"I'm certain it is only a temporary situation I can resolve over the coming months and make it to London to defend my Olympic crown in August."
Hooker, who set a new Olympic record in Beijing, has blamed the problems on the knee injury that has plagued him for almost 18 months.
"Having that doubt about my body was like a demon in my head and it complicated my thoughts when it came to jumping which is a disaster for a pole vaulter," he said.
"To be at your best a pole vaulter's mind must be clear. If you have numerous calculations going through your head on the runway and through the take-off, it just doesn't happen."
