Pressure in sport – The Mind, a friend or foe. Sport can put an extraordinary amount of pressure on an athlete. Stress is self-imposed, whereby the athlete puts pressure on themselves to succeed and feels awful if they don’t achieve the level of performance they expect. They can have perfectionist tendencies, whereby almost nothing they do or achieve is quite …
Naomi Osaka: Spotlight on media, authorities & player after French Open withdrawal – BBC Radio Kent Interview
When Naomi Osaka won the US Open in 2018, she pulled down her visor to hide her tears. It was her maiden Grand Slam title, she had beaten the great Serena Williams to win it, and she had a bright future ahead. Except that the victory had come in unusual and traumatic fashion, with boos and controversy surrounding Williams’ infamous …
Self-Esteem: How you feeling?
What is self-esteem? Self-esteem describes a person’s overall sense of self-worth or personal value. In other words, how much you appreciate and like yourself; so, it’s the opinion you hold of yourself. And it’s surprising how low this opinion can be with pretty poor consequences. It involves a variety of beliefs about yourself, such as what you think of your appearance, …
The Benefits of Effective Visualisation
Effective visualisation can help to enhance performance through the following benefits: Improved confidence Improved concentration Enhanced motivation Emotional control Acquire, practice and hone specific skills Strategy improvement Preparation for competition Coping with pain and injury Problem Solving Improved confidence One of the biggest sources of enhancing confidence is through previous performance achievements. Effective visualisation techniques can help you to recreate …
Depression in Sport
So what exactly is Depression? Depression is a serious issue; it is not a sign of weakness. It’s a genuine illness that can hit anyone at any time. Depression is a common mental disorder that causes people to experience depressed mood, loss of interest or pleasure, feelings of guilt or low self-worth, disturbed sleep or appetite, low energy, and poor …
Dealing with Depression: A four-stage action plan to reduce your depression
Firstly it is important to remember to be kind and compassionate to yourself. It’s not easy to start/continue any self-help programme so give yourself a big pat on the back for your efforts so far for reading this! This blog will explain a four-stage approach to help you deal with depression. The model is based on classic cognitive behavioural therapy, …
Competition Toughness
Three key areas of competition mental toughness are– handling the pressure, belief and the ability to regulate your performance. Developing your mental toughness allows you the advantage to be able to deal with challenging situations and change your approach – something which can set you apart from your opponent. Handling Pressure How you view the pressure of competition Many performers will train …
Causes of Stress
Worrying about things that might never happen can often cause people to feel stressed such as worrying about future events or what people may think about you. People can get on a downward spiral with negative thinking habits that may lead to chronic stress. The good news is that you can control the stress levels in your life by controlling …
Simple Steps to Improving Happiness
How can happiness be increased? Since most of us want to be happy, what practical steps does psychological research suggest we can take to increase our happiness? Here are some practical steps you can take to enhance your optimism and be more satisfied with your life on a day-to-day basis. Smell the roses – Fourteen simple things to do proven …