Helping Sports Kids With Anxiety
Many kids (especially teens) suffer from anxiety.
One of their biggest causes of anxiety:
What others think of them. In sports, this is a big issue. Kids spend a lot of time worrying about what their peers, parents or coaches will think of their performance.
For young athletes, this can be a real confidence buster. They spend too much time worrying about whether their friends and family members saw them goof up a shot, or lose a ball, or trip over their own feet.
In sports, athletes who suffer from “what-will-they-think” anxiety tend to freeze up and play it safe to avoid failing. Why? If they don’t fail, no one will notice!
Of course, this way of thinking hurts young athletes’ confidence. If they don’t try, and take risks, they won’t experience all the benefits of taking risks and succeeding. When kids take risks and learn, they become better players-and more confident kids in sports and life.
So, how do you help young athletes overcome this kind of anxiety?
First of all, help them identify their worries. They may not be aware that they worry about what everyone thinks of them. Help them understand exactly who they’re most worried about and what they’re afraid people will think of them.
Then, help them understand that this way of thinking busts their confidence. Help them focus on being in the moment. That’s a great way to get young athletes to stop thinking negative thoughts.
Tell them to focus on setting up for the next shot, ensuring an opponent doesn’t get the ball, or playing offense.
If they’re thinking about what’s happening right now, they can’t occupy their minds with worries about what other people think of them. And guess what? Once they learn this strategy in sports, they can apply it to other areas of their lives!
Related Articles on Kids’ Mental Game:
- How to Care About Athletes’ Mental Health
- How Choking Hurts Athletes’ Performance
- How Self-Talk Can Help Athletes When Losing a Game
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The Composed Sports Kid
“The Composed Sports Kid” audio and workbook digital download program for young athletes and their parents or coach helps kids cope with frustration and anger in sports. Help your sports kids learn how to manage expectations and let go of mistakes so they can keep their head in the game.
The Composed Sports Kid system is really two programs in one–one program to train parents and coaches how to help their kids practice composure, and one program that teaches young athletes–ages 6 to 13–how to improve composure, let go of mistakes quickly, have more self-acceptance, and thus enjoy sports more!