Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Progressive Muscle Relaxation is a good technique for easing anxiety.  It relaxes the mind and body by progressively tensing and relaxing muscle groups throughout the entire body.  This helps to release muscle tension and fosters mindfulness. How do you do … Continue reading

Resources for Injured Athletes

Often the mental pain caused by your injury and the temporary or permanent loss of your sport can be far more devastating than the physical injury. This type of pain must be addressed and managed in order to recover quickly and … Continue reading

Managing Performance Anxiety

Do you feel dread about performing? Do you feel stage fright before a presentation or anxiety before the big game or test? Athletes and students often experience performance anxiety.  The anxiety not only influences their performance, but it can also … Continue reading

Managing Mistakes

Teaching Children and Adolescents to Manage Mistakes We want our children and teenagers to perform well, and so do they.  However, the pressure of perfectionism can lead to the fear of making mistakes.  When there is so much pressure to … Continue reading

Coping with Frustration

It is the things that we cannot control in life that can be the most frustrating.  You may feel frustrated with a teammate on the sport field, someone with whom you work, or a loved one.  When there is not a … Continue reading

Prevention of Stress in Children’s Sports

Excessive stress, injury, being burnt out, along with other negative aspects of youth sport can be avoided. Here are some simple ways to avoid putting too much stress on athletes and creating problems. The thrill should be competition, not winning. … Continue reading

Power of the Pre-Game Speech

A pre-game speech can influence athletes’ performances and motivate them.  A well-produced pre-game speech motivates athletes because it directs their thoughts appropriately, often from distraction to focus, from anxiousness to excitement. So what makes a pre-game speech a good one? … Continue reading

Anxiety and Memory in Sports

The relationship between anxiety and memory  The relationship between anxiety and memory is complex and still uncertain, but research has established that memory formation and retrieval is influenced by emotions, particularly anxiety and stress.  We may put traumatic events into … Continue reading

Supporting Your Child Athlete – 5 Tips

Parents want their child to have confidence and enjoy their sport, but they don’t want to over-praise.  How can you best support your child in sport? Here are a 5 tips for supporting your child athlete: 1. Encourage self-motivation. Motivation must … Continue reading