Finding Your Joy in the Game
It’s surprising how many athletes come to me wanting to enjoy their sport again. They feel like they’ve lost all joy in the sport they used to love.
The game just isn’t fun anymore. There is too much pressure on them.
They feel stressed over the result and how they’ll perform. Leaving them feeling more anxious and nervous than they’ve ever been before.
They are always feeling down on themselves. They don’t perform how they used to or how they know they can. The negativity is like a snowball that keeps growing and growing.
And eventually, that snowball leads to a loss in motivation. They get to a place where they don’t even want to be at practice anymore. What they used to look forward to is now dreaded.
That loss in enjoyment and motivation can be so frustrating. You used to love your sport, but now it just feels different. You feel burnt out. The mental toll of playing your sport has left you completely drained.
The good news is that finding your joy again IS possible. But it will require you to make your mindset a priority.
You’ll start with releasing everything that isn’t serving you and stealing your joy. Then, you’ll retrain your mind to focus on what you do enjoy and the positives.
#1: Release. In order to find your joy again you have to start with releasing what is holding you back and taking the joy away from you. To find what needs to be released, answer these questions.
What takes away your joy? - Are there specific parts of the game that take away your joy? Maybe it’s specific people or things that are said. Start to get curious and notice when you feel the joy fading away.
What pressure do you feel? - When do you feel the most pressure? And, is this pressure coming from somewhere? Is it you, your parents, coach, or teammate?
When do you tend to get negative? - At what point do you get negative with yourself? What sparks it?
What do you focus on? - Are you focusing on what others are doing? Are you focused on what isn’t going right or the mistakes you made?
#2 Retrain. Once you’ve become aware of what is holding you back you can begin the retraining process. As you retrain your mind, you’ll naturally release what’s holding you back. To retrain your mind use these tips.
What sports moments bring you joy? - Is it when you score a goal, learn a new skill, or win a game? Create a list of the moments that bring you joy. Then seek out those moments more often, and when you have them, actually enjoy them!
What do you love most about your sport? - What did you love most about your sport when you first started playing? What do you love about it now? How can you enjoy and celebrate this more often? For example, if you love playing with your friends the most, find gratitude each day you get to play your sport with your friends.
Focus on the positives from each day. - Write down a minimum of 3 positives from each day. They can be something small, it can be something you learned or worked on but put a focus on the positives rather than the negatives.
What do you look forward to when you have practice or games? - What do you look forward to most? Find what it is and put your focus on that rather than the things you dread or don’t like.
Releasing and retraining your mind will take time, but the more intentional and persistent you are with it the more joy you’ll find in your sport.
You’ll release all of the frustration, dread, negativity, pressure you feel. And instead you’ll look forward to playing your sport. You’ll enjoy it and be excited to work towards your goals.
Plus, as you find your joy, you boost your confidence and ultimately perform better.
If you feel like you’re dreading your sport more than you’re enjoying it, schedule a consultation today! In the Mindset Mastery Program we focus on releasing what’s holding you back and retraining your mind so that you can bring your best and enjoy it at the same time!