3 benefits of Sport Psychology during a pandemic

You may have less access to physical, technical, and tactical training at the moment, why not use some of that time to focus on your psychological skills.

Positive Wellbeing 

• In its most simple form, the definition of wellbeing is the state of being comfortable, healthy, or happy. Or, according to the World Health organisation wellbeing is ‘how satisfied people are with their life as a whole, their sense of purpose and how in control they feel’.
• During these uncertain times, the wellbeing element of Sport Psychology support will be even more dominant than normal as many people are experiencing more challenges in terms of their mental health and wellbeing.
• Having a Sport Psychologist as a regular point of contact can help you reflect on your experiences and ensure you are prioritising your self-care. This will ensure that you can process your thoughts, feelings and emotions connected to the current situation while also identifying opportunities and ways forward.

Personal development

• Is there something you have always wanted to work on – either within or away from sport – but you have never had the time? Can you make the time to focus on it now?
• Many skills that you learn in sport are transferable to other areas of your life – identify skills that you feel like you need to improve on to become a better athlete but also a better person.
• Working with a Sport Psychologist will help you to identify the areas that you can develop how you will develop and monitor the progress that you are making along the way.

Performance improvements 

• The majority of athletes are involved in sport for the opportunity to perform and compete. Are you doing everything you can to be ready for when a more normal sporting calendar returns?
• From a performance perspective many things may be challenging at the moment – Are you experiencing more regular dips in motivation? Is your confidence lower because you haven’t had regular practice time? Have you lost sight of your short- and long-term goals because of event cancellations?
• Working with a Sport Psychologist will help you to work through these and many more questions in relation to your performance. The length of time that sport will be impacted is unknown so being proactive to seek this support will ensure you are as ready as you can be when your normal sporting calendar returns.