4 sports psychology tips to help you with everyday life

Even if you’ve never set foot inside a gym or on a sports field, sports psychology principles can help improve your life.
‘Use your goals to give you direction and motivation,’ says Clinton. However, he cautions not to focus only on the outcome. Rather evaluate your progress based on how you apply yourself and the steps you are taking daily. ‘This is the only aspect of achieving your goal that is under your control,’ he explains. ‘Outcomes are influenced by several variables, only a few of which are in your control. Focusing on process means you know you have done all you can, and alleviates the uncertainty, anxiety and pressure of feeling responsible for the outcome.’
Strengthen your mental skills such as focus, mindfulness and relaxation. ‘These are skills that athletes must acquire to navigate team dynamics, remain calm and be able to make quick, effective decisions under pressure,’ states Clinton.
We probably believe we practise accurate thinking, but many of us adopt either a positive, affirmation based-approach to life, in which we focus on a positive outcome only or a catastrophic thinking mode, where our mind jumps to the worse possible outcome. Both are discouraged.
An enriching life is one in which we have multiple areas of interest from which we derive meaning. ‘Don’t define yourself purely in terms of one aspect of your life,’ says Clinton. If there is something you long to have or achieve or an area of life that consumes all of your attention (say, winning gold if you happen to be an athlete, or if you’re not meeting your soul mate or nabbing that promotion), this can lead to a very imbalanced mental state that lacks resilience.
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