Sports Psychology and the art of feeling good about yourself....or not
Former Member
Confession time: I struggle with a committee in my head (and I've tried to ignore 'em) that tells me things like...."you suck"..."you'll never get any better", blah blah blah.
Now that BillS has encouraged me to delete that dreaded work from my lexicon, I am sure that another one will pop up.
I know this is kind of a rant....but how does one really feel good about themselves as a swimmer yet avoid being delusional? Seriously....how do you keep a balance of positive thinking while being able to honestly regard how you swim and what needs to change/improve?
What do you guys do? Is it good coaching, simply having a solid self esteem in the first place....?? Is it simply that people carry their low self esteem into the water...if so, how do you overcome that...?
Thoughts?? What in the world is sports psychology anyway?
Interestingly, my self-esteem issues seem to be given a rest when I swim or run, not b/c I do either one so fast, but b/c the process of trying to get faster is so interesting and so free of any kind of connection to who I am. Paradoxically, I think it HELPS in my case that I've NOT been a star in sports. I can go to the pool or out running and be free of the pressure to perform b/c no one expects me to be super fast, no job or scholarship is on the line, and any step forward is good. My swim coach has one of either of these pieces of advice on his workout sheets-- either "Go your own pace. Don't worry about what others are doing" or "Do the best that you can do. Don't worry about what others are doing." I've been trying to apply that advice elsewhere too--to life generally.
Interestingly, my self-esteem issues seem to be given a rest when I swim or run, not b/c I do either one so fast, but b/c the process of trying to get faster is so interesting and so free of any kind of connection to who I am. Paradoxically, I think it HELPS in my case that I've NOT been a star in sports. I can go to the pool or out running and be free of the pressure to perform b/c no one expects me to be super fast, no job or scholarship is on the line, and any step forward is good. My swim coach has one of either of these pieces of advice on his workout sheets-- either "Go your own pace. Don't worry about what others are doing" or "Do the best that you can do. Don't worry about what others are doing." I've been trying to apply that advice elsewhere too--to life generally.
