Part 4: Do you feel self compassion when you fail in sport?
Let’s light this topic up!
Athletic performance: I have taken so many deep dives into how the past few years have been a challenge. More failures than successes. Pushing one's goals past the boundaries of the norm. My approach has always been to set achievable goals. It’s fine to have one big goal, but for the long term, start with short-term/smaller goals. “Self-compassion, treating oneself kindly in response to failure, may help athletes manage failure; it buffers against negative affective psychological responses, yet athletes often fear self-compassion.” (Frontiers in psychology). It’s critical that you provide yourself with self-compassion if you have set goals that weren’t attainable or failed expected results at your last event.
Did you post something on social media about an event you were training for? Did it NOT turn out the way you wanted it to? Did you feel like you failed? That can spiral into self-criticism, self-doubt, anxiety, fear of future performances, and more.
Take a step back. Give yourself more self-compassion. When you practice self-compassion, you are essentially throwing yourself a lifeline. Don’t go into your event with a sense of failure. Training and preparation will net you great results. However, if things do go poorly, self-compassion will stop a spiral.
I would love to help you out if you find yourself in this constant battle!
Tailwinds,
Chad
Join our Free Live Webinar on this topic! Wednesday, March 8th, 7pm