Matthew Mace

How to Get Rid of Sports Anxiety as an Athlete

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Anxiety is common; it’s something we all experience from time to time, but others are more prone to anxious thoughts and tendencies. And athletes are no different — some of the most decorated athletes also have anxiety disorders, take Michael Phelps, for example.

Phelps was — and continues to be — extremely open about his struggle with depression and anxiety, despite being the most celebrated and successful Olympian in history. Mental health disorders and anxiety do not discriminate. 

In fact, one could argue that competing on the world stage invokes anxiety, and creates a pressure cooker-like environment. But what exactly is anxiety? Anxiety is defined as “an unpleasant psychological state in reaction to perceived stress concerning the performance of a task under pressure” [1].

And an estimated 31.1% of American adults will experience an anxiety disorder at some point in their lives.That’s approximately 311 people for every 1,000 adults. That’s a lot of people!

So, this blog post will highlight several causes of anxiety in sports, how anxiety affects performance, and tips to help you alleviate anxiety.

What are the causes of anxiety in sports?

To understand what causes anxiety, let’s first break it down.

Anxiety comprises two main parts: 

  1. Cognitive anxiety: worrying thoughts, uncertainty, and apprehensions 
  2. Somatic anxiety: physical activation, such as sweating and shaking

There are also different types of anxiety, including trait anxiety and situational anxiety. Trait anxiety is more permanent and part of a person’s personality. On the other hand, situational anxiety is a response to a situation that evokes an anxious response, such as a big game or an evaluation, or a competition of some kind where an assessment takes place [1]. 

Athletes and others often display common signs of anxiety, and they are easy to spot. There are the nail-biters, the excessive sweaters, the fidgeters, and those who are overwhelmed by negative thoughts.

Anxiety can be triggered by the most basic things in sports, from an intense game to a lack of preparation or self-doubt. There’s no one cause, but there are things you can do to alleviate and reduce your anxieties — continue reading to find out how. 

How does anxiety affect performance?

If you’re too anxious before competition, then your performance can be negatively affected. For example, self-doubt and other negative thoughts might impact your ability to focus. Your muscles can tense up, and you may struggle to get your mind in the right space.

When not controlled and without the right prevention methods, anxiety can be devastating. It can affect your performance, it can prevent you from doing your best, and at the highest level, it can mean the difference between a Gold medal and going home on the team bus a day early.

How to overcome performance anxiety in sports

So, what do you do if you feel extremely anxious before a big game, race, or competition? You know your performance will be worse, and your thoughts are running wild, but what can you do?

Knowing how to control your anxiety can help you eliminate negative thoughts — and replace them with positive statements and self-talk — and, ultimately, improve your performance.

If you feel very anxious before a game, race, or competition, then your performance can be affected. Knowing how to overcome performance anxiety in sports, however, can help you better control your focus for improved performance.

So, how do you do it? We recommend you try the following:

Focus on what you can control

The highest level of competition brings with it numerous distractions and external factors that are out of your control.

You can’t control the skill of the competition, the expectations of others, and for the most part, the outcome of the game. Focusing on these areas drains energy and may feed your anxiety.

Instead of worrying about things out of your control, focus on what you can control. That includes your training, mental preparation, self-talk, and visualization. Double down on what you can, and pay less attention to those things out of your control.

Create a pre-competition routine 

Many successful athletes follow a pre-competition routine. And they follow it to the letter — every single time.

Your routine is one of the main things you have control over, and it can be excellent at reducing anxiety and increasing focus. Look to include a mix of mental skills, such as positive self-talk and visualization, and other activities that help you stay relaxed, such as listening to music.

It takes time to find a routine that works for you, but once you’ve found something that works, it only gets better from there.

Use positive self-talk and reframe negative thoughts

Negative thoughts and self-doubt can easily creep into an athlete’s mind. These can heighten anxiety and decrease performance. However, self-talk and reframing negative thoughts can build confidence and resilience. It can also help calm anxiety and help you perform your best in those high-pressure situations.

Use Rewire to reduce anxiety and improve focus 

And finally, you can use Rewire to reduce anxiety and improve focus with our guided sessions, backed by neuroscience and used by Elite athletes. The guided sessions library includes sessions designed to increase focus, reaction times, and meditation and guided breathing exercises to reduce stress and anxiety. 

You can also track your readiness — a score based on a mix of cognitive, emotional, and physical measures to best optimize your training sessions for maximum recovery and performance.

“I’m a coffee guy, and it’s amazing what you can achieve by taking that 5 or 10 minutes and running through a Mindset Recovery session and just letting your mind and body relax. You just feel so much better afterward versus just trying to hit a cup of coffee and keep going.”

Timothy O’Donnell (World Champion Triathlete)

Find out more about Rewire for Athletes.

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Matthew Mace

Mental Preparation for Athletes: 5 Methods to Boost Your Performance

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Mental preparation is often overlooked — but knowing how to get in the right headspace before competition is key to accomplishing your absolute best. It can mean the difference between winning and losing, promotion and relegation, or even your spot on the team.

Without adequate preparation, you might find yourself scattered, unable to focus, and not performing your best.

One of the best ways to prepare for a big game or tournament is to create a mental preparation routine. Your routine can be as detailed or as minimal as you’d like — it’s all about finding what works best for you.

So, with this in mind, this blog post will explain what mental preparation for athletes is and how you can use it to improve your performance when it matters most.

Key takeaways:

  • Develop a pre-game mental preparation routine 
  • Learn how to separate personal life from sport
  • Use Rewire to improve your mental preparation 

How to mentally prepare for competition

If you’re an athlete, you’ve probably competed (or at least went to training) when you were not in the right headspace. You might have found it difficult to focus, and simple tasks that you usually find easy become hard and frustrating. And all of that is made worse because you know you’re capable, but your mind has other ideas. Not fun!

Many athletes choose to add a pregame mental preparation routine right before the competition. It allows them to consciously remove distractions and increase their focus. It’s like flicking a switch in your brain and letting it know that “It’s go time.”

And while the routines of Elite athletes are different between sports, they often share a lot of overlap. For example, a lot of athletes listen to music to psych themselves up, practice mindfulness or meditation, and perform visualization exercises. And these are just a few mental preparation techniques you can try!

Keep reading to find out more techniques — and how you can implement them into your pre-game routine to increase your focus and improve your performance.

1. Practice mindfulness 

Mindfulness is about removing distractions and focusing on the present moment. In sports, that means leaving your worries and anxieties in the locker room. You need to run onto the field with a clear head, armed with the right goals and limited distractions.

Focusing on the wrong thoughts drains energy and distracts you from your game. Your problems will be there once you’re finished! But hopefully, after a win or a successful performance.

So how do you practice mindfulness?

There are numerous ways you can add mindfulness to your mental preparation. For example, you could perform a guided meditation or deep breathing session. Or, if you prefer something more productive, you could do light stretching with the goal of narrowing your focus and clearing your mind.

Find what works best for you, and stick with it! Familiarity is a key part of pre-performance routines.

2. Visualize your performance 

Visualization is a very powerful tool for athletes. It’s used by the best of the best, and for good reason. However, how do you use it before competition? There is no right or wrong answer. You may choose to think through and envision your strategy, your technique, or how you think the game will play out.

You can focus on one specific thing, such as defending against an individual opponent, or you can visualize the competition as a whole and how you want it to play out. Practice a mix of techniques, and find what works best for you.

Practice the mental visualization skill in training before competition. Very quickly, you’ll see how powerful it can be! 

3. Practice positive self-talk

Often, many athletes unfamiliar with self-talk assume they have to talk to themselves out loud. And while some athletes do this, it’s not necessary. If it works for you, then cool! But if not, don’t worry.

You can also speak affirmations, cues, and mantras in your head. Besides, it’s more about thinking than speaking! But self-talk is powerful and can replace negative thoughts, e.g. “I can’t make this shot” vs. “I will make this shot.” It’s about retraining your mind and hitting the restart button to increase confidence and focus when you need it.

4. Understand that not all stress is bad 

Too much stress can be devastating — working against you rather than for/with you. However, a small and controlled amount of stress can help energize your performance. It can give you that much-needed rush of adrenaline and surge of confidence in the closing minutes of a game or the final few 100m of a race.

And while it can be useful, you must learn how to control and manage it. If you compete with too much stress, then this can cause anxiety or too high of arousal. And guess what happens? Your performance suffers because of it.

Recognize that not all stress is bad — but learn how to control it. Add some type of de-stressing activity to your routine, especially if you feel highly anxious, stressed, and worried.

5. Use Rewire to prepare and prime your mind for competition 

Finally, you can use Rewire to prime your mind and body for competition. Rewire uses evidence-based protocols from sports psychology to improve your mindset, reduce stress levels, and improve your mental resilience.

There are also visualization exercises — and other tools — to help you best prepare for competition. Whether you like to listen to binaural beats, perform reaction tests, or guided meditation, there is definitely something for you.

“I have been using the app for a few months. It has helped me set the proper mindset before workouts, disconnect before bedtime, and gauge my mental readiness on a daily basis.” – Matt Hanson (Professional Triathlete and Coach)

Find out more about Rewire for Athletes.

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Matthew Mace

How to Improve Mental Health for Athletes

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A guide for athletes and coaches.

Mental health is finally beginning to get the attention it deserves. And that includes the athlete population. With the introduction of sports psychologists and other team members, the industry — as a whole — is moving in the right direction.

We’ve had Gracie Gold speak out about her eating disorder, anxiety, and depression, Michael Phelps openly discuss his battle with depression, and Naomi Osaka speak about her struggles with depression after withdrawing from the 2021 French open tournament.

But there’s still more that needs to be done. And whether you’re a coach or an athlete, there are things you can do — and this article will detail them.

How mental health affects performance 

Poor mental health might lead to various performance blocks, including lapses in focus and concentration, mental blocks, poor recovery and sleep in training and competition, and a higher risk of injuries.

Athletes may also experience physical shaking, tight muscles, and feel more pressure, stress, and anxiety than usual.

Why do athletes struggle with mental health? 

From time to time, we all struggle with mental health. It’s a part of human nature. Athletes are no different — they can suffer from anxiety, depression, eating disorders, OCD, and many other conditions. 

Unlike others, elite athletes are also exposed to public scrutiny — they perform on the world stage, and are no doubt influenced by people’s opinions, comments, and criticism. This also has consequences, perhaps contributing to poor mental health, too.

Risk factors for mental ill health in athletes

Research indicates that athletes experience comparable rates of mental ill-health (e.g. depression, PTSD, and sleep disorders), but are also at risk of athlete-specific risk indicators for ill mental health, such as [4]:

  • Sports injury and concussion
  • Performance failure
  • Overtraining
  • Individual sports are typically higher risk than team sports
  • Negative major life events
  • Low social support
  • Impaired sleep quality

Athletes are perhaps more at risk due to the increased demands, including travel, training demands, coach-athlete relationships, and exposure to unfamiliar training environments. Moreover, elite athletes who are injured or approaching retirement may also experience performance difficulty [5].

Why is there a stigma around mental health in athletes? 

The stigma around talking about mental health — and seeking treatment — is not only prevalent in athletes, but throughout human history [1].

One study found that NCAA Division 1 athletes were more at risk of public stigma than their non-athlete peers [2]. 

But why is this the case?

Athletes want to appear mentally tough and do not want to show weakness. Often, athletes fear that seeking help will result in a loss of playing team, or may even jeopardise their career or contract.

And at the college level, the compounded stress of school and elite sports only makes things worse. Athletes are more likely to encounter burnout, and may struggle with mental health issues. Once again, not speaking up because they risk not being selected for their team or sport.

What can coaches do to help athlete mental health?

Sports coaches play a pivotal role in athlete mental health — they can:

  • Increase education and awareness of mental health
  • Reduce the stigma and promote early help-seeking
  • Focus on overall athlete development (not just physical)

Let’s break these down in more detail.

Increase education and awareness of mental health issues

Coaches can increase education and awareness of mental health by hosting workshops, speaking engagements, and working with sports psychologists.

It’s not just athletes who should know how to recognise the signs of early-onset mental health issues. 

Programs and further information should be offered to the athlete’s family and friends to help recognize potential symptoms and risks, and encourage the athlete to seek help before a particular struggle were to spiral out of control. 

Reduce the stigma and promote early help-seeking 

Many people don’t talk about their mental health. However, athletes, as previously discussed, may be at a greater risk of not speaking out.

So to combat this, coaches and other sports organisations that work closely with the athletes should focus on reducing the stigma through education and awareness. Furthermore, there should be a support system in place for early help-seeking — that includes multiple ways to ask for help [4].

While not in a professional sense, at grassroots level, this could be as simple as athletes maintaining a good relationship with their coaches and knowing they can ask for help, whether in-person after training, or via text, provided this is appropriate (as a very basic example).

Focus on overall athlete development (not just physical)

For years, the focus on the athletes has been physical. And that made sense! 

But these days, coaches and other staff should focus on overall athlete development from a more holistic perspective. That includes sports psychology, mental skills training, education around mental health, and so on.

Check in with your athletes, perhaps add a non-invasive screening method, and focus on more than just the physiology and physical skills training.

How can athletes manage their mental health? 

Although coaches and coaching staff play a pivotal role in the mental health of athletes, ultimately, it comes down to the athlete to implement changes, practice self-care, and better manage their mental health.

So if you’re an athlete, what can you do?

  • Surround yourself with a good support network
  • Set effective (but achievable) goals
  • Talk to someone if needed
  • Reduce overall stress (and talk to someone if the stress gets too much)

Surround yourself with a good support network

Depression and other mental health issues might be a higher risk for athletes who partake in individual sports instead of team sports [6].

If that’s you, it’s even more important to surround yourself with a good support network — these people will become your teammates.

That could be a good coach, a friend, family members, and so on. You want people that you can talk to when needed — and they will listen — and you want people who provide more positive outcomes than negative ones in your life.

Set effective (but achievable) goals

Most athletes know the importance of goal setting, so we won’t dive into the specifics in this blog post. However, it’s essential to use effective goal setting principles for the best results.

Where mental health is concerned, goals should be challenging but achievable. 

Yes, your goals should be difficult, but they shouldn’t be so challenging that you can’t achieve them, only to be upset when you don’t achieve what you set out to achieve.

You can use tried and tested goal setting methods to do so, i.e. short and long-term goals, specific goals, and a feedback system that helps you understand your progress [3].

Related: 6 Tips For Achieving Your Fitness Goals 

Talk to someone if needed

Athletes should always have someone to talk to if needed, even if it’s to discuss something as simple as a training session that didn’t go quite to plan, or to run through their goals for the remainder of the year.

Equally though, coaches (and other staff) should be available to talk to. An open line of communication is essential to protect mental health — and reach out for help if needed.

Reduce overall stress

Athletes experience stress — whether that’s during training, competition, or the day-to-day.

In particular, though, many people forget the additional stressors student-athletes face. A Division 1 athlete, for example, often trains very similar hours to a professional athlete, but also attends classes, and seminars, and has other educational demands.

It’s not just the attendance that’s required, it’s the additional work writing papers, researching, and other tasks — it’s like having two full-time jobs.

If possible, student-athletes should speak to their teachers when needed to explain the situation if they’re struggling to balance the two. And if possible, coaches and teachers should be aware of their demands and provide leniency where possible.

Student athlete mental wellness should be a top priority. 

Reducing stress will lessen the risk of burnout and injury, and should provide better balance in the day-to-day. 

The Mindset Recovery collection on the Rewire app includes sessions dedicated specially to help athletes reduce stress, try our free 4 minute guided stress relief session. 

FAQs

What is the most common mental health issue for athletes?

Anxiety is thought to be one of the most common mental health issues in athletes. Depression, disordered eating, stress, sleeping disorders, and overtraining are also common.

How do athletes take care of their mental health?

Athletes should surround themselves with a good support network, set realistic goals, and reduce overall stress. They can also work with a psychologist or a mental health professional to take better care of their mental health.

Including Rewire Fitness sessions into an athlete’s routine is another way to improve mental health. With just 5-10 minutes of every day use, the average rewire user reports a 70% reduction in stress, 30% increase in focus, and a 30% increase in readiness to perform. Try the app for free today. 

Coaching athletes and looking to help them take care of their mental health? Find out how Rewire can help your team’s wellbeing by booking a consultation with us today. 

References:

  1. Bauman, N.J., 2016. The stigma of mental health in athletes: are mental toughness and mental health seen as contradictory in elite sport?. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 50(3), pp.135-136. 
  2. Kaier, E., Cromer, L.D., Johnson, M.D., Strunk, K. and Davis, J.L., 2015. Perceptions of mental illness stigma: Comparisons of athletes to nonathlete peers. Journal of College Student Development, 56(7), pp.735-739. 
  3. Locke, E.A. and Latham, G.P., 1985. The application of goal setting to sports. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 7(3), pp.205-222.
  4. Purcell, R., Gwyther, K. and Rice, S.M., 2019. Mental health in elite athletes: increased awareness requires an early intervention framework to respond to athlete needs. Sports medicine-open, 5(1), p.46.
  5. Rice, S.M., Purcell, R., De Silva, S., Mawren, D., McGorry, P.D. and Parker, A.G., 2016. The mental health of elite athletes: A narrative systematic review. Sports medicine, 46, pp.1333-1353.
  6. Schaal, K., Tafflet, M., Nassif, H., Thibault, V., Pichard, C., Alcotte, M., Guillet, T., El Helou, N., Berthelot, G., Simon, S. and Toussaint, J.F., 2011. Psychological balance in high level athletes: gender-based differences and sport-specific patterns. PloS one, 6(5), p.e19007.
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Danielle

Insights from the World of F1 Performance Coaching with Pete McKnight, Human Performance Expert and Coach (Formula 1)

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In this podcast, we speak with Pete McKnight, Performance Director at Hintsa Performance and a member of the Rewire Fitness advisory board.

With over two decades of experience in the field, Pete has coached and managed the performance of some of the world’s top F1 drivers. 

Summary:

  • Pete’s comprehensive approach to coaching elite sport and managing athletes
  • A typical day in the life working with F1 teams
  • The unique challenges and opportunities involved in coaching F1 drivers
  • How to use science and research to inform the coaching process
  • The recruitment process for F1 coaches 
  • Characteristics which differentiate top athletes
  • Pete’s thoughts on the F1 coaching practice compared to other populations (military, corporate professionals…)
  • How to unlock performance outside of physiology
  • and much more… 

Interested in enhancing your athletes’ well-being and performance? Visit Rewire for Teams or book a free consultation to learn how we can help your athletes gain a competitive edge.

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Matthew Mace

4 Powerful Ways To Prioritise Mental Health In Athletes

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Get the basics right, and you’ll set yourself up for success.

Question: Victoria Pendleton, Gracie Gold, Michael Phelps, Naomi Osaka, Mary Cain, and Tyson Fury… what do these athletes have in common? And we’re not talking about the success they’ve had in their careers.

Answer: Each of these athletes has opened up about their struggles with mental health. 

Mental health in sports has become increasingly talked about in recent years. And with the intense pressure elite athletes face, combined with the scrutiny from the public and press, and not to mention internal and external expectations, it’s a recipe for some dark times.

But the more people talk about mental health, the easier it is to set up the right systems to combat it. 

Here’s how to prioritise mental health as an athlete. 

Key takeaways:

  1. Prioritise rest, sleep, and recovery
  2. Find a team or coach that supports you
  3. Surround yourself with the right support team
  4. Know when to take a step back

Prioritise rest, sleep, and recovery

You already know the importance of sleep, especially as an athlete. 

When we sleep, the body recovers. It’s how our muscles repair and adaptations are made — it’s how we improve.

Think of it like this: each day, you write yourself a check for the hard work you put in (training and nutrition). However, the check is only useful if you cash it in. The bank is sleep — you take your checks, cash them in, and reap the benefits.

If you’re not getting enough sleep, you’re not only at an increased risk of injury, but you might be sacrificing your mental health.

For example, Mind mentioned that those who have trouble sleeping might feel more anxious, depressed, or even suicidal. You may also lack the energy to train and compete. And perhaps, you’ll feel lonely and isolated and not want to train with your team.

Prioritise getting quality sleep and rest each night. If you struggle with sleep, you might want to look at your sleep hygiene — that’s those healthy habits that set you up for sleep success.

Good sleep hygiene habits include:

  • Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day
  • Get sunlight exposure as early as you can in the day to set your circadian rhythm
  • Avoid caffeine after 2 pm 
  • Limit screen usage in the hours leading up to sleep

You can also check out the Rewire mindset recovery sessions, designed to promote rest, relaxation, and better sleep.

Find a team or coach that supports you 

As an athlete, you likely have a coach.

For most, it’s peanut butter and jelly — one does not work quite as well without the other.

Whether you’re a long-distance runner, javelin thrower, professional basketball player, or tennis player, a coach guides your training and provides mentorship. 

And while sometimes there isn’t too much choice, if you can choose, try to find a coach that supports you.

Let’s use the Mary Cain example: she was the fastest girl in America until she joined Nike. Until she wasn’t. To cut a long story short, the coaching relationship was far from a match made in heaven.

According to Cain, the coaching team did not listen to her needs. They told her she needed to become thinner, and thinner, to become faster, as mentioned in a video for the New York Times.

Over time, she fell into a system where weight loss was encouraged to an unhealthy extent. Ultimately, this wreaked havoc on her mental health and even led to suicidal thoughts.

While it’s easy to say, “choose your coach wisely,” it can be challenging to do in person. But if you can get a coach that works with you and supports you, then you’ve ticked one of the big boxes.

Surround yourself with the right support team

Your coach is your main mentor, but alongside working with a coach who supports you, try to find other athletes who stand in your corner.

It helps to have a support team behind you. That can include athletes, coaches, coaching staff, and friends and family.

But more importantly, work on surrounding yourself with the right people. 

Talking to other athletes is an excellent place to start. You have a lot in common, likely encounter the same problems, and you understand the intense pressure of sport.

You don’t need to build a supportive team and network overnight, but you should be intentional about it.

Know when to take a step back

Professional Greek Olympic runner, Alexi Pappas, suffered from depression following the Olympic games—she wasn’t ready for what happened after she achieved her dream.

Now a major advocate for mental health, Pappas was told that her depression was a “scratch on her brain.” This helped her visualise her injury, and know that it did affect her but that it could be fixed.

Pappas stands behind this statement and emphasises mental health as a legitimate bodily need. She goes on to say, “…if you’re unable to compete because you’re risking your body, then don’t compete.”

A great example of this is professional tennis player, Naomi Osaka, who withdrew from the French Open back in 2021 for mental health reasons. As athletes, we need to know when to take a step back, and not to feel ashamed about it. It should be as essential as eating, drinking, and breathing — prioritise mental health the best you can.

Related: Naomi Osaka: Mental Health Journey.

Use Rewire to optimise recovery

Keeping tabs on your mental health, checking in with yourself, and optimising recovery can prove challenging. But you can use the daily Rewire readiness platform to track physical, cognitive, and emotional states. 

Based on your holistic readiness score, Rewire’s engine generates tailored recovery sessions designed to address your unique needs such as reducing stress, improving sleep, or achieving a more relaxed state.

The app also integrates with Strava, OURA, and other platforms to provide you with a holistic view of your health, training, and recovery status. 

While it’s impossible for us to know how you’re feeling, prioritising time for yourself each day and assessing your readiness score is a great place to start when it comes to putting your mental health first as an athlete.

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