Is Chronic Worry Impacting Your Game? 

Are you an athlete or performer struggling to feel comfortable and confident on the field or in the spotlight? Has performance anxiety crept into your mindset, causing you to doubt yourself during game time? Do you feel constant pressure to maintain peak performance both on and off the field? 

Perhaps you’re a teen or adolescent who performs or plays sports at a competitive level, whether through your school, club, or national organization. When it comes time for you to show the crowd what you’re made of, you may find yourself battling what-ifs and fear that you will do something wrong. You may struggle with feelings of panic—including a racing heart and sweaty palms—or perhaps you have difficulty concentrating. 

Maybe you’re a college or Olympic athlete in the prime of your game yet constantly worried about when the other cleat will drop. You may experience racing thoughts, feelings of shame and embarrassment, or imposter syndrome that causes you to doubt your strengths and abilities. If this is the case, you are likely preoccupied with others’ perceptions of you, convinced that your family, friends, and fans aren’t proud of you.

Whether you’re a novice or already in the big leagues, the pressure to successfully perform can affect you on a daily basis. You may find that your actions become disjointed or that you have a freeze response when it’s your time to shine. You’re likely worried that your skills are diminishing or that mental blocks are keeping you from successfully leaping over hurdles. 

Constantly distracted by mental, physical, and emotional setbacks, you probably wish you could go back to a time when athletics or arts were fun and not so full of expectations. But with sports and performance therapy at Catalyst Counseling, you can learn to regain confidence and enjoy the game again. 

Performance Anxiety Is A Common Problem Among Athletes

Anxiety is a common human struggle, but athletes and performers in particular experience acute levels of worry and self-doubt. Fear can take over and impact their athletic or artistic performance, whether it’s taking the winning shot, hitting the mark on the stage, or trying out for a team roster. 

The world of competitive sports in particular perpetuates the idea that toughness is both physical and mental—meaning that any form of weakness is not to be demonstrated and certainly not discussed. Not to mention, athletes and artists alike are expected to be very competitive from a young age, under intense scrutiny to always make the team, land the role, and achieve the highest standards in order to be successful. 

But this mindset takes its toll. The average child athlete, for example, spends less than three years in a sport—typically quitting by age 11 due to the extreme expectations.  And the NCAA estimates that the vast majority of college campuses are home to student-athletes who struggle with some kind of anxiety disorder. Symptoms in these student-athletes often become so severe that they impact athletes’ ability to function and overall athletic potential. 

Yet, instead of addressing the root cause, athletes and performers attempt to perfect surface-level skills in hopes that they will find relief from intense pressure. And despite being surrounded by coaches and trainers who know how to optimize an athlete’s physical ability, they lack knowledge and experience in promoting effective mental health. 

If you’re struggling to perform, it can feel as though there is no solid ground to stand on—as if the turf is being ripped out from right under you. In sports counseling, however, you have a chance to identify the source of your anxiety so that you can perform at the top of your game again. 

Sports And Performance Counseling Gives You A Chance To Overcome Hurdles In A Pressure-Free Environment

Given that this population of competitive athletes and artists are so used to excelling and demonstrating toughness, there’s no wonder that sports and performance counseling is a new and foreign concept to many. Yet therapy is an opportunity to explore the mental side of athletic and artistic performance that often gets overlooked. 

At Catalyst Counseling, our sports counselor will work with you to target specific problems, conquer mental obstacles, and develop self-confidence. Beginning with a 90-minute intake, your therapist will gather essential information and answer questions about sports and performance counseling. It’s important that you feel safe and comfortable in the therapeutic process, so much of the initial session will center around building rapport, setting goals, and giving us a sense of what you need and how we can help you. 

Throughout ongoing sessions, we will expand on the areas of concern discussed during the intake, understand the psychology behind your performance anxiety, and zero in on the specific symptoms impacting you. Peeling back the layers of your experiences, we will identify the source of your challenges and tailor a treatment approach that will promote positive change and relief. 

Our sports counselors use evidence-based methods such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to locate unhelpful thinking patterns and change emotional responses. CBT has been proven especially effective for performance anxiety in particular as it allows athletes to develop more of a sense of control and be at the top of their game. And while behavioral approaches can be extremely helpful, one of the most valuable tools you gain in sports and performance counseling is a safe space to process your experiences and feel free of expectations. 

Your brain is yet another muscle that requires training and care. With a little teamwork and practice alongside your sports counselor at Catalyst, you can tackle anxiety and other mental health struggles impacting your performance. 

Maybe you’re curious about sports and performance counseling, but you still have questions…

If this is sports counseling, I don’t see why we need to discuss non-sport-related topics. 

*Gesturing wildly. It’s all connected! Your emotions and past experiences build on one another over time. Oftentimes, the stress and anxiety that start in one area of life are impossible to turn off in other areas of life, causing us to feel regularly distressed. 

The mental health struggles you’re having in your sport are usually part of a bigger picture that may involve your environment, childhood, work, and relationships. Taking a step back to connect the dots can help to improve overall wellness. 

What is the success rate for athletes who see sports counselors?

Success looks different for each and every client. This process will likely feel like learning a new athletic skill for the first time—some athletes benefit from sports counseling relatively quickly (after a few sessions), while others need more time. 

It’s important to keep in mind that success for athletes is not about eliminating mistakes, playing perfectly, or eradicating worry. It’s about building resiliency through error, identifying and managing habits that hinder our performance, and making small changes that can have a big impact. Success comes in different shapes and sizes—and your sports counselor will be your cheerleader all the way through. 

How long does sports and performance counseling take?

Depending on what you struggle with, we recommend athletes start with a weekly or bi-weekly schedule for therapy. As you progress and show signs of improvement, we will adjust your sessions as needed. Our goal is to work with you as quickly as possible so that you can get back to your game with a refreshed sense of enjoyment and confidence.

Go The Distance For Your Mental Health

If you’re an athlete or performer struggling with anxiety and negative self-talk at game time, sports and performance counseling with our team at Catalyst can help you adjust your mindset. For a free, 15-minute consultation, please call (432) 386-3204 or contact our sports counselor here.