Clinical Sports and Performance Psychology
Clinical Sports and Performance Psychology: What is It, and How Can it Help You?
You don’t know how or why. All you know is that when you step onto the field, court, or course, something’s different. When you start your test, briefing, or presentation, something feels off. You’re not your old self. Anxiety, depression, and doubt creep in like parasites and take you out of the game. It sucks, and neither you nor your coaches or managers can figure out what’s wrong. If you’ve experienced anything like this, you might benefit by seeking the help of a clinical sports or performance psychologist.
Clinical sports and performance psychology sit at the interface of clinical practice and performance enhancement. In other words, clinical performance psychologists are trained to treat the whole person and to help them perform at their peak. Athletes and other high performers are at elevated risk of experiencing anxiety, depression, eating disorders, adjustment problems, and burnout. Professional psychological treatment can be essential to getting back on track.
Performance Anxiety
Performance anxiety is common among athletes and other high performers. The problem tends to compound itself the more people try to get rid of it. It’s easy, that is, to feel anxious about the anxiety and for that cycle to spiral out of control. This takes you further from your optimum state of performance, and it’s hard to find your way back. A therapist can help you manage your relationship with anxiety and stress so that it works for rather than against you.
Identity Issues
In high school, Steve Magness was a distance running prodigy. He scraped against the coveted four-minute barrier in the mile, and a swarm of college coaches vied for his commitment to their programs–he was the next big deal. But when Steve started college, something changed. He no longer improved at the same blistering rate or dominated his competitors. He felt he was letting himself and his teammates down. Beyond that, he questioned who he was if he was not on top of the podium.
Today, Steve Magness is a celebrated coach and writer who focuses on achievement and passion, both its light and dark sides. Recently, he tweeted the following:
Imagine being the best in the world at something. Spending all of your time perfecting your craft.
Then, in your 30s, have to walk away. Start fresh and be a ‘beginner’ at something completely different.
Welcome to being an elite athlete. It’s why retirement is often a struggle.
It’s not just being a ‘beginner’ or preparing with skills to transition.
It’s that from the time you were a teenager your identity, sense of self, passion, etc. has been wrapped up in and directed towards this one thing. That’s the tough part to manage.
Athletes and performers often report issues concerning their identity in the wake of an injury, burnout, or retirement. As the saying goes, “Broken dreams hurt more than a fractured femur.” There is no shame in seeking guidance during identity transitions, and therapy can help create a bridge from one phase of life to another.
Focus
Focus is essential to high performance in any field. One has to be present and engaged to succeed. Professionals and aspiring professionals achieve their potential only through dedicated focus. Lose that, and no other part of your training will matter much. And yet, in a fast-paced, technological society, it has never been easier to get distracted or lose sight of your motivations. A professional can help you keep focused on your values and goals.
Flow
Peak performance is largely about getting out of your own way and letting your body and mind act on their own. Consider your best performances. What were those experiences like? Many people report uncommonly low exertion, feeling “out of their minds,” and feeling like they were totally absorbed in the moment. Some people call this “the zone.” Most of the time, they report hardly thinking at all, as if their movements were happening automatically. “Flow” describes a state where high challenge meets high ability. Your difficulties rise with a razor-thin margin to your level of skill in overcoming them, leading to an almost ecstatic, thrilling experience. Flow boosts performance, and there are ways to foster it (some covered below).
Habit Formation
Great performances in any field spring from years of dedicated and deliberate practice. One adage to keep in mind is, “Perspiration over inspiration.” The path to achievement is paved with cobblestones of ordinary tasks. Consistency rules. As you might have noticed, however, breaking old habits and forming new ones is immensely challenging and might involve working through psychological obstacles. This process can go faster and more smoothly with the help of a professional.
What To Expect From Treatment
Your therapist will approach your care differently depending on the nature and severity of your complaints. If you’re looking to sharpen your mental game, for example, treatment will consist of learning and practicing mindfulness and imagery exercises tailored to your chosen activities. It might also involve troubleshooting mental hangups in relation to performance or anticipating problems and exploring strategies to prevent them from occurring.
If your concerns are more intense and involve mental health problems (anxiety, depression, eating concerns, trauma), your therapist will work with you to address these as well. This might consist, among other activities, of working to challenge perfectionism, build motivation to train and nourish yourself, and create a plan that keeps you engaged with life and keeps depression at bay.
What You Can Do Now
Build a Mindfulness Practice. Mindfulness aids performance in several ways. First, it helps performers get back into a flow state and out of their heads. Second, it can aid in relaxation and take the sting out of anxiety. And third, it helps athletes reconnect to their reasons for participating in the activities in the first place (more on this below). Here is a list of mindfulness resources and apps you might consider exploring:
Reconnect with Your Values. Human beings change constantly. The person you were at ten-years-old had different motivations from the person you were at 15, 20, or 30. If you’ve noticed a decline in your motivation to perform, disconnection from your values could account for it. The philosopher Nietzsche said, “He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.” If you are having trouble bearing the how–the labor and intensity of your pursuits–there is a good chance you have lost track of your why–your values. Ways to reconnect with your values include:
Mindfulness Practice. Mindfulness practices can help build emotional awareness, and emotions help us understand our passions and drives with greater clarity. Practice paying attention to your feelings without seeing any of them as a disturbance, simply noticing what emotions arise as you consider what information these emotions contain.
Journaling. Consider the prompt: What makes this activity meaningful to me? What gives you purpose? From where do you draw your strength? For what are you willing to strive or struggle? Explore your intentions and your reasons for doing what you do. These reasons–naturally moving targets–are what fuel dedication and drive. It is important to find and track your whys if you hope to stay motivated.
Focus on the Process, Not the Outcomes. This is easier said than done. Most of us live in outcomes-focused societies. We are rewarded and punished for our output, not our effort or intentions. The issue with focusing on the outcomes over process is that we often lack control over outcomes, whereas we have much more control over the process and our effort. Ultimately, it makes more sense to devote time and attention to aspects of our performance that fall within our scope of influence.
Find Flow. Search for the elements in your craft that feel challenging– for the golden mean between boring and overwhelming. If you’re an athlete going up against a less skilled opponent, this might mean focusing on winning by a high margin or playing to your full potential. If you’re going up against a less skilled opponent, it might mean focusing on keeping the margin as close as possible without stressing about winning. Define success in terms that allow you to act in the space where your abilities and your goals match. It’s okay–and even expected–that you won’t find a flow state for every practice session. Stretching your limits means the difficulty will sometimes outweigh your ability. But when it’s time to perform, research shows the most effective means of reaching your peak is to find flow.
How Full Color Psychology Can Help
Dr. Eric Ghelfi specializes in treating performance concerns and related problems (e.g., anxiety, burnout, eating disorders). He can provide individual therapy or briefer, consultation-based care.
Dr. Corinne Hannan is a certified eating disorder specialist and supervisor. If your performance concerns are largely or primarily concerned with eating or body image, Dr. Hannan can provide that care with excellence.
Dr. Russ Bailey has extensive experience treating anxiety, depression, and related disorders that might impact your performance. He can help you if you are struggling with more clinically focused concerns.