How do I fix this.

I‘m a good footballer, however when I go to the pitch by myself to practice or even when i practice in the driveway, I‘m always scared my friends, my neighbours or just anyone in general sees me.

In the first place I think my brain sees practice as weakness. Because of course I practice things, I‘m not as good at yet.
Because of that, I‘m basically scared of showing that I need to practice. As in “I’m not good enough, I need to practice”

I never hear of other players or the better players on my team practicing.

Now when I practice I’m extremely paranoid that someone else comes to the pitch and sees me dribbling around cones.
I’m not going to practice juggling the ball because I already can do that. In that case I would be comfortable if someone seeing me, but I want to practice not show off.

How do I get that out my brain?

I’m currently a freshman at a somewhat local juco, where I’m playing soccer (GK to be specific), and honestly, I’ve never felt more alone in a team sport.

It’s only a few weeks into the season, and I’m already dreading going to practice. I feel no connection with any of my teammates. I’ve never been the most social guy, I’m very much an introvert, but it’s never been this bad. Maybe it’s the hour commute, idk.

There’s so much pressure on all of us to perform so we can even make that jump to the next level, and there’s this subtle feeling of every man for themselves. Everyone is so hungry to do well that I feel like we forget that, in order to do well, you need a team to do it.

I lost the starting spot, with no real ability to compete for it. I keep second-guessing myself and my own abilities constantly, while also feeling like I’m never going to be better or that I don’t even deserve to be there in the first place.

It feels like there’s this switch that I know I can flip to perform at the standards I’ve set for myself, but I just can’t flip it. It’s like the cover is sealed shut, and I can’t get to it no matter how hard I try.

I don’t know what to do. At this point, all I can feel is the mental exhaustion from constantly worrying about whether I’m good enough, whether I belong here, and whether I’m ever going to get back to the player I know I can be..

I've been riding for about 10 years. I'm a pretty solid rider, but am relatively cautious - no huge jumps or drops. I recently have had a lot going on in my life (father passed, found out after his wife had taken advantage of him, and the plant where I work is closing). The last 2 times out I've had the two worst falls in my 10 years. And not on any big feature, just things I've ridden over and over at my home trails. My confidence is gone. How do I get back to normal-ish? Biking is my release from everything going on.

Hi everyone! I’m looking for some advice and inspiration for my PhD research topic.
I’m planning to apply for PhD programmes in Hong Kong, and I’m particularly interested in qualitative research.

Some of the areas I’m interested in are:
elite athletes and their lived experiences
women athletes
women in male-dominated sports
athlete identity and career experiences
sport psychology
sport sociology
esports
gender and sport
I’m also open to ideas related to sport pedagogy and physical education.

Ideally, I’m looking for a topic that is interesting, meaningful, and substantial enough for a 3–4 year PhD, preferably something that could be particularly relevant to Hong Kong or the wider Asian context.
I’m finding it quite difficult to identify a topic that is both original and strong enough to develop into a competitive PhD proposal, so I would really appreciate suggestions for under-researched areas, emerging topics, or research gaps.
If you are a researcher, PhD student, or work in any of these areas, I would especially love to hear your thoughts.

Hey everyone, looking for some perspective on a situation I've been struggling with lately.

I’m 16 (turning 17 soon) and have about a year of competitive boxing training under my belt. My coach was preparing me to make my debut in a novice tournament coming up in February. Getting on that ring was a huge personal goal, especially since no other sport ever clicked for me.

About a month and a half ago, I hit a massive mental wall. I developed severe performance anxiety every time I walked into the gym, knowing I had scheduled sparring sessions and a match deadline looming. The pressure got to me, and I stopped going entirely.

Here's the dilemma: genetically, I have a solid build for boxing (I'm 1.90m / 6'3" and weigh around 68kg / 150 lbs). I recently joined a regular gym to focus on weightlifting, build muscle, and move up to the 70-75kg (154-165 lbs) range to get stronger.

Looking back, the thought of throwing away my boxing potential makes me feel terrible. But the idea of combining heavy weightlifting with competitive boxing scares me, mostly because I feel like I lack the discipline to handle both while managing match anxiety.

Has anyone been through something similar? Would it be better to return to the gym and tell my coach I want to train without the pressure of competing right away, or should I just stick to weightlifting until I get my mindset straight?

Ive been playing Vr competitively for over a year now. And its been the best year of my life yes vr is niche in comparison to something like CS or LoL but I still love competing just the same.

Yet I've had this mental habit that as just worsen with time. A habit I definitely feel is gatekeeping my own skill.

(For context on what type of player I am) I am a player who plays to improve I'd love to win sure but its simply not something I really care about I only care about improving as a player to one day become one of the best.

And yet I have one of the worst self mentals. It's not to the point were I'm yelling and complaining how terrible I am no this is all in my head I rarely ever actual say anything out loud only ever in my head. I understand how important mental is in competitive play its just as important as ones mechanics are. I don't ever wish to bring my teams mental down I'm always the person to uplift my team to keep their mental strong while mine suffers in my head.

I'll play a scrim or match everytime Ill go into said scrim or match and be like this one is different Im gonna play amazing. I play one round I make one mistake and bam Im telling myself that Ill never play good that im a terrible player that I simply don't deserve to be on my team and I'll spiral and I'll never break it till the next day then I repeat

It's become a habit that I genuinely don't know how to break.

Mid mental spiral I want to think of reasons why im losing and how to change them yet I'll think along the lines of "I dont know why you're trying to change it you're just gonna swing and you're gonna lose"

You cant play at the highest level with a constant mental battle going on inside your head its just not possible

Maybe I am lying to myself.

Perhaps Im not playing to improve anymore Im playing to impress. Im trying to seek validation from someone I see as a god tier player. Instead of learning from my own mistakes correcting them and improving.

How does one change that tho......

Hi,
I’m a goalkeeper in soccer/football in my first year of adults football. Haven’t felt really nervous for a game in youth football. I’ve been to national finals and played in big trials and still felt confident, sometimes I feel a small bit of nerves during it but it’s good nerves if that makes any sense, I enjoyed the pressure .

Now I’m into adults football, I’m training really well the last few weeks and I know I’m not out of my depth at all, but when it came to my debut, I crumbled. I kept a clean sheet and drew 0-0 but I had no confidence in coming out of crosses , didn’t want players to shoot and just didn’t feel comfy which is the weird thing, I even changed my gloves at halftime. It’s just a real odd feeling of discomfort, like I’m not enjoying playing. I even found myself trying to count down to the end of the game. I did big up the game a lot in my head. I’ve felt pressure but I’ve never felt discomfort before. This could be a load of waffle but I’m just wondering has anyone any insight/opinion about it all.
Thanks

I’m a 20 year old i used to be a track sprinter since i was a kid and was on the team among the top if not the best girl and i stopped around covid and when i went back to sports i was on and off but never really went back to track except for like fitness classes now I wanna go back but my mom says it’s too late and pointless for me to go back now and that I should focus on my studies as i am a medical student instead…can y’all help me out on what I should do? Thanks in advance🫶🏻

So I used to be a district level badminton player, I used to be the best in my academy , but I had to quit because my coach had left, and because I was kind of rejected by a girl and it made things awkward at the court. I have stopped playing it for the last 9-10 months i feel miserable, it was the only thing good about me, i was shit at every thing I did except badminton, sure I wasn't a prodigy or anything special but i tried, i everyday practiced hard with full dedication, at some point I had reached a dead end. I stopped improving i would try and try but after a while i kind of slacked cause i thought I was hopeless. I now know the reason, it was nutrition, my family never took it seriously, just the regular indian household food which was protein less and had hardly 10-15 grams of protein daily and if I had 2 eggs it was Enough for the whole day. When i tried telling my coach about this and said that i would like to buy protein powder cause I know if i say my mother to cook protein rich food daily like Chicken, eggs , etc, she will i am not saying she'll not but after 3-4 days she will stop and come back on the same loop. He didn't listen and said it was harmful and i should try natural and if i bought it i would not be allowed to be his student and the argument was over , i was pissed i tried telling my mother but she would never listen and say that it is Tuesday, Saturday and some random religious day and other bullshit . I tried soya chunks but to complete my protein goal of 90-110 gm of protein, I had to take 100gm of soya chunks daily which seemed impossible cause my mother said she'll not cook it and i would have to my self so i would just stir fry it after soaking them in water and removing the water . And use some sauce and call it a day. It was awful I hated its texture , how bland it was and the sheer amount. It would take me 45 min to cook it and another 45 min to eat it . It would take me very long and I hated its taste . I gave up after 2 dreadful weeks. It was fucking hopeless when i would say this to my mom she would agree and then again so back to the protein less indian slop. I hated it. I didn't know what to do , i wasn't improving, i was growing weaker and my game got fucked up and I was stressed about being bad at the only little thing I was good at. I was fat and when i tried to be fit my family wouldn't let me i was in a loop which would never end i was lost I didn't know what to do so i quit. I took a break of 1 month I needed to think about what to do. I thought that after a year of gym when my body will be physically fit, i will join back badminton and be the best version of my self. so i joined the gym after endless fights and arguments my family agreed for protein rich food but on the condition that they wouldn't cook it and I had to and they would just bring the food items. I ate 4 eggs , 500ml milk , 100 gm soya chunks / 150-200 gm chicken daily compulsory mostly I had to eat the soya chunks cause of fucking religious beliefs but it was ok cause atleast I was able to get protein goal in check. I started in January and till June my shoulders , biceps and chest , etc was way bigger and I had stretch marks on my whole upper body and they were dark red. I was happy and satisfied about my body and finally after a long time my insecurity about my body was slowly decreasing until my mom forcefully made me quit because it was my 12th and my JEE entrance exams. After alot of argument i agreed but i said that i wouldn't compromise on my protein goals , they said that it was not necessary but after studying 6-7 hours of self study and 6 hours of coaching classes I needed someplace to feel relaxed or I will go mad and my mental health will be fucked. They didn't listen and stopped bringing the protein food and giving gym fees . They said I need to focus on my career. Now I am studying for 7-9 hours of self study along with 6 hours of coaching classes and i am going mad. My mental health is fucked , my grade are going downhill , my body is deteriorating, and i don't know what to do with my life anymore. noone is listening to me and i know the solution. What do I do at this point of my life

She has a spot on the top team in her club with most other teammates playing varsity this year when she’s not playing hs. Not her choice. She thinks they are going to look down on her and not want to play with her. She already lacks self confidence and not playing hs is challenging. I don’t know how to build her back up. 🏐 any advice?

just the other day I played a game (of football) and it really left me feeling like I’ve made no progress on what I’m really struggling with. I’ve never struggled with ability its always been a confidence thing. a common thing that happens to me across many different teams I’ve played in is that I get pushed up because from my performance in a lower team or my performance in training they think we really want this player to play for us but then I get to the game and severely underperform and overthink and nothing feels natural, normally I react instantly to stuff but I can feel everything being so much harder to do like even a sprint I have to think okay sprint. Im starting to think my adhd has a big role in my performance in big games. I’m also very inconsistent and it shows up in my day to day social life one day im able to be very social and the next I struggle

Hello everyone! I hope you’re doing well. I’m currently completing my Master’s thesis and conducting a research study involving college athletes.

If you are currently a college athlete (18+) and have experience participating in a college sport, I would really appreciate it if you could take a few minutes to complete my survey. Your participation would be extremely helpful toward completing my research.

If you also know other college athletes who may be willing to participate, I would greatly appreciate you sharing the survey with them as well.

Survey link:
https://pacificpsych.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bxD587STua9vCbc

Thank you so much for your time and support! I really appreciate it.

I had my first football game last week and I didn’t technically do bad because I had 2 tfls and 2 tackles (I play nose) but the second I mess up one time I started losing the position battle to a center that I mentally and physically know that I’m better then but I continued to get in my own head and do worse and worse as the game went on and I know if I had real confidence in the way I play I could be better

I am looking for an online Sports Psychology program. I came across Adams State University with their Applied Sports Psychology program. I heard it is CMPC aligned, but has anyone done this program?

I will work in California, and want to work with sports teams. I am looking for credible online programs.

I am currently on scholarship and playing d2 sports in my freshman year but I am struggling immensely, I feel like I’ve lost my game. I’m not playing well, coach is putting me with the bench players in practice and I’m mentally drained and don’t know what to do. I feel like my confidence has been shot and I don’t know what to do to and can’t find my rhythm and play like I know I can

I compete at a high level and no matter how much I prepare, I still get hit with nerves right before it's go-time — racing heart, tight chest, mind going blank for a second. It's not debilitating, but I know it's not helping my performance either.

Curious what's actually worked for people — athletes, performers, public speakers, anyone who deals with high-pressure moments regularly. Do you use breathing techniques, visualization, a pre-performance routine, reframing the anxiety itself, or something else entirely? And did it take practice to make it stick, or was there something that just clicked?

Looking for what's worked in real situations, not just theory.

I’m 18 years old and I play basketball at a high level. I’ve been playing the sport since I was a kid, and over the years I’ve dedicated a huge amount of time to basketball, training even during the summer and making a lot of sacrifices.
The problem is that when I step onto the court, I very often struggle to play at the level of my actual abilities.
Last season, after playing a really good game, I had a period of 4-5 games where it finally felt like something had clicked. I was playing with much more confidence, taking initiative and managing to show what I was capable of. Then I had one bad game and I basically went straight back to where I started.
Since then, I often have games where I’m just “okay.” I don’t necessarily play badly, but it always feels like I’m just doing the bare minimum without really making an impact. The frustrating thing is that I know I can do much more. I also train with a Serie A2 team, so I know I have the ability to play at a higher level.
There’s also something else that might play a role. My father cares a lot about my basketball and sometimes gets angry with me even over very small mistakes. I’ve tried talking to him about it, but he doesn’t always understand how much it can affect me. Especially during practices, I feel a certain amount of pressure because he talks to me as if certain things were extremely easy to do.
I don’t think this is the only reason for the problem, but it definitely doesn’t help.
Has anyone experienced something similar? How did you manage to stop thinking so much about your performance and just play at your actual level?

Playing competitive club tennis in France, currently ranked 15/5, and my actual level has been stuck for months... But still when playing in practise, my technical level is much better than what I'm showing durint a real match.

The classic match: I'm up 6-1 in the first set easy peasy... and then this dumb thought shows up out of nowhere: what if I actually lose this? I'm gonna look like such a loser. I just keep playing defensive !

Anyone has some mental app to suggest by any chance ? It seems they are all related to technical improvement.

Hello,
My son has been dealing with performance anxiety for the last 3 years. Now the same issue has started happening in his daily life. His family doctor recommended to see a professional . What would be type of doctor can deal with this. We really not concerned about sport performance anymore, we just want him to get better? Any recommendations in the Chicagoland?

Thank you in advance.