Teenage Sports Psychology
About
As a former Division I baseball player, I wish I had known then what I know now on how to balance the stress of being an athlete with the demands of academics and this thing they call sleep. Playing a sport becomes more anxiety provoking as the level of play intensifies. And although most athletes welcome this challenge, it is nonetheless a struggle in which teens would be well served to talk to a sports psychologist or therapist.
Sports psychology
Sports psychologists looks closely not only at how athletes balance the many balls they are juggling but also how they manage the mental and emotional details within their respectice sport. A good sports psychologist will help a student athlete examine the way he/she manages their total wellness while considering their time management, work ethic, mental & emotional IQ and awareness of the many psychological aspects of their athletic life that is perhaps hindering them from maximizing their performance.
Time & Sleep
Athletes are unique in that they are working with a reduced amount of two of the most precious commodities - time and sleep. They are forced into an air tight schedule that by itself is conducive to anxiety. And when academics pose challenges this further adds to the existing stress of trying to be the best possible athlete.
Competitive Edge
As athletes level up their performance it becomes increasingly more clear to them that their competitors are doing the same. Often it is the small details that separate the good from the great! It’s easy to see how high level athletes feel that their best option is their only option- Just keep pushing their bodies to the limit. But much research shows there is a point of diminishing returns for trying to outpace our bodies’ organic needs. Keeping a pulse on our total wellness is often the edge that many athletes overlook. This includes off the court or field choices and better ways of thinking that create a high functioning psychology.
Turning Sports Anxiety into a Strength
Teaching teenage athletes how to harness the upside of anxiety into a strength starts with normalizing the benefits of anxiety. Without some anxiety the world would not accomplish very much. But when anxiety begins to paralyze teenage athletes, a sports psychologist can help athletes build up a tool box of strategies to to transcend anxiety into a strength that most athletes wil never acquire.