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How a psychologist can help improve athletic performance
Psychology
The main aspect to work for an athlete, from the psychological point of view, is emotional well-being
When we talk about sports, in general we refer to training our body. Even so, an essential part that should not be neglected is taking care of the mind. If he emotional well It is a fundamental pillar in all levels of our life, when we talk about athletes, especially those dedicated to physical activity in a professional way, this becomes one of the most important things. Taking care of the body is of no use if it is not accompanied by good mental health.
Laura Pineda, an expert in psychology at the Virtus Group, comments that the application of psychology in sports fields is important because it is one more variable that influences
human performance. The professional says that this application of psychology can focus from aspects more related to performance, such as motivation, or emotional management in competitions, to more clinical variables, such as anxiety or depression, which can lead to affect all aspects.
Self-confidence and self-esteem
Pineda says that, although it may be obvious, the main aspect to be treasured by an athlete, from a psychological point of view, is emotional well-being. “Learn and train the management of thoughts and emotionsin an adaptive way for each situation, so that it can be applied in the specific conditions of each sport, it will be the basis of psychological work, “he says. Within all this work, the concepts of self-esteem and self-confidence are very important, since other aspects are sustained on them, such as perfectionism, self-demand or the need for control. “It is interesting, at this point, to understand that these variables have to do with the learning history that the person has had and the beliefs they have about their own performance,” says the expert. He points out that, taking this into account, “the basis of the work will be to identify and restructure those beliefs that are not adaptive or realistic in relation to performance expectations.”
The importance of psychological help in serious sports injuries
Laura Pineda, an expert in psychology at the Virtus Group, explains that the role of the psychology professional is very important in the rehabilitation and return to practice after a sports injury. “The implications of injuries both emotionally and behaviorally are evident,” says the expert, and indicates that the frustration that being injured can generate, fear when it comes to playing again or pain management are aspects that must be addressed from psychology when we talk about sports injuries. «In the event that the injury even prevents the return to competition and we are facing a scenario of sports withdrawal, it will also be important to have the support of a professional who accompanies during this process and can provide tools to the person who it suffers from it, so that the most adaptive management of the problem is achieved, “he says.
Another interesting aspect is how psychological support can not only help individually, but also as a team. «It is evident that, especially in the case of team sports, work on specific psychological variables of the group It is extremely important, ”says Laura Pineda. He comments that intervening on group cohesion, trust, goal setting or communication can make “the performance of the group improve widely”, as well as “the satisfaction of each of the members that compose it”, understanding the repercussion that each role has in the global computation.
Likewise, sport is another of those fields in which there is a invisibility of the psychological. The professional says that, on psychology, there is still a burden, sometimes ignorance, others for not understanding very well what is happening or thinking that it may be temporary, or even because of “what will they say”. “Today there is a lot of ignorance and stigmatization about the role of the psychologist or psychologist both in the sports field and in general,” he says. Even so, the professional sees “light at the end of the tunnel”, as she explains that more and more sports clubs, teams or organizations have the figure of the sports psychologist among the professionals of the coaching staff. “Fortunately, more and more emphasis is being placed on the importance of mental health, with more and more athletes who recognize working on psychological aspects to improve both their well-being and performance,” he concludes.