How To Help Perfectionists With Their Mental Approach

How To Help Perfectionists With Their Mental Approach

How To Help Perfectionists With Their Mental Approach

By working with David Charlton, you and your organisation will be better equipped to rise to modern day challenges and better informed to thrive on and off the pitch, course or court.  Where he inspires individuals and teams to:

  • Cope with pressure and challenges more effectively
  • Maintain positive mental health
  • Compete with confidence more often
  • Manage your emotions better
  • Improve your commitments levels

David is a Mental Toughness Practitioner, as well as a Health Care and Professions Council (HCPC) Registered Sport and Exercise Psychologist.  He has successfully supported athletes, teams and organisations for over 10 years in order to ensure that they perform at their maximum more often.

He has a comprehensive knowledge around the development of Mental Toughness, a plastic personality trait, which determines or limits people to deal effectively with change, challenges and stressors. In today’s climate, during the Coronavirus pandemic this quality is becoming more and more valuable to individuals, teams and organisations. 

Supporting athletes with perfectionist tendencies is a large part of our work at Inspiring Sporting Excellence.  They often display the following characteristics:

  • Difficulties transferring their practice or training to competitive events or matches.
  • Trying too hard.
  • Focusing intensely on results and outcomes.
  • Unable to trust themselves under pressure.
  • High, rigid and often unrealistic expectations of themselves and others.
  • Impatience and a tendency to demonstrate poor body language in the face of difficulties and for some to give up too easily.
  • Being frightened of letting other people down.
  • Having brittle confidence.
  • Letting their own self-worth and self-esteem be influenced by poor sporting performances.

Additionally, the perfectionist athlete can be very hard on themselves which informs the content in today’s episode where I share a case study and a helpful exercise relating to recovering from mistakes and errors.

Key Learning Points

  • When we’re not emotionally involved it’s easier to be kind and compassionate.
  • Often athletes find it easier to be kinder to team-mates than themselves when difficulties arise.
  • The pressure of being judged and critiqued in sport can impact on an athlete’s ability to deal with mistakes.
  • Being kind to yourself as an athlete doesn’t mean that you are going soft.
  • Learning how to be more self-compassionate can help you motivate yourself more than fear- based motivational methods.

Connect with David Charlton

Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST

Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub

Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn

Relevant Podcast Episodes To Help Perfectionist Athletes

Ep129: David Charlton – How to Deal with Self-Criticism using Self Compassion – PT1

Ep130 David Charlton – How to Deal with Self-Criticism using Self Compassion – PT2

Ep131 David Charlton – How to Deal with Self-Criticism using Self Compassion – FINAL PART

Ep142: Alessia Bruno – Is Striving for Perfection a Good Thing in Gymnastics?

Ep156: Ruth Chiles – There is Hope: How to Overcome Focal Dystonia

Other Relevant Blogs And Resources To Benefit the Athlete Who Desires To Be Perfect

Coach Development Helping Athletes Overcome Fear Of Failure

5 Ways To Create A Psychological Safe Sporting Environment

Are You A Rugby Player With Perfectionist Tendencies?

How to Trust Your Skills When You’re a Goalkeeper

How to Help Children Overcome Fear of Failure

How To Play Well When You Aren’t Feeling Great

Conversations with Kids – Dealing with Criticism

Kristin Neff Website on Self-Compassion

IF YOU ENJOYED TODAY'S SHOW PLEASE SHARE

SUBSCRIBE AND LISTEN ON YOUR FAVOURITE AUDIO PLATFORM

Also, kindly consider taking the 60-seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes, they’re extremely helpful when it comes to the ranking of the show and we read every single one of them!

David Charlton

Best Wishes 

David Charlton

Global Sports Psychologist who is located near Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK and willing to travel Internationally.  David also uses online video conferencing software (Zoom, Facetime, WhatsApp) on a regular basis and has clients who he has supported in USA, Canada, South America, UAE, Australian and New Zealand.  

Managing Director – Inspiring Sporting Excellence and Founder of The Sports Psychology Hub.  With over 10 years experience supporting athletes, coaches, parents and teams to achieve their goals, quickly. 

T: +44 7734 697769

E: [email protected]

Search Our Sports Psychology Website

Popular Categories

Join Our Online Community Now!

Mental Edge Newsletter

Are you an athlete, coach or parent that would like to learn how to create sustainable high performance? Receive our free regular newsletter, where we share proven mental toughness and high performance tips and strategies. If you want some support and motivation straight to your inbox, then sign up below.

    We won't send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time.

    There is Hope: How to Overcome Focal Dystonia

    There is Hope: How to Overcome Focal Dystonia

    Ruth Chiles

    Ruth Chiles works with professional musicians from many of the world´s leading symphonic orchestras, as well as from other genres such as jazz, rock and blues. Her experience is also with premier and international league sports clubs, and professional dancers, gymnasts, basketball players, skiers and track athletes, enabling them to resolve their performance blocks, especially focal dystonia. She has nearly 30 years of formation in and experience with leading edge neuroplasticity and neurogenesis techniques. As a musician herself who suffered and has healed herself from focal dystonia and other performance blocks, she understands first-hand what it is like to have your deepest passion snatched from you, the experience of the recovery process, and the joy of returning to confident, freedom and fluidity in your playing.

    In mainstream sports psychology when helping individuals to develop their mental toughness and overcome performance challenges sport psychologists are likely to use interventions such as cognitive restructuring, visualisation, goal setting, mindfulness and other relaxation techniques to help athletes.  However, when athletes experience trauma and difficulties such as the yips or mental blocks other tools may be required to help them overcome the challenges that they face. 

    Today I chat with Ruth Chiles, author of The Focal Dystonia Cure, who is a brainspotting practitioner, she goes on to tell you more about focal dystonia and neurological causes of this condition.  She also shares some practical tips for those of you who struggle with focal dystonia.  This episode is a great listen for those people who suffer from the yips or mental blocks or have experienced trauma in some form.

    Key Learnings

    • Focal dystonia is a very extreme somatisation in the body of a mental block where the particular movement or a particular part of the body is out of control.
    • What is going on in the nervous system sits underneath the body movements, or body blocks.
    • Fight and flight responses are when you are highly activated in the nervous system whereas a freeze response is when you experience hyper activation.
    • For some people their nervous system has been in a constant state of survival since before child birth.  Our very early life history and our attachment to our mother plays a part.
    • Brainspotting was developed by a New York psychologist called David Grand where we rewire parts of the brain so that people can respond differently in specific situations.
    • We connect to the sub cortex through the body not through the thinking mind.
    • When performing we are often in survival mode which can impede fluidity, enlarge muscles and inhibit your fine motor skills.

    Connect with David Charlton

    Sign Up to The Mental Edge

    Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub

    Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn

    Connect with Ruth Chiles

    Website

    Book: The Focal Dystonia Cure: Powerful and Definitive Practices to Completely Heal Yourself

    Ruth Chiles on Facebook

    Ruth Chiles on YouTube

    Relevant Podcast Episodes

    Ep013: Karl Morris – How to stay present like a major champion

    Ep012: Alessia Bruno – The Yips, Crashes, Trauma in Sport there is hope for Athletes

    Ep092: Dr James Hegarty – ACT in Sport, Improving Performance through Mindfulness

    Ep131 David Charlton – How to Deal with Self-Criticism using Self Compassion – FINAL PART

    Ep142: Alessia Bruno – Is Striving for Perfection a Good Thing in Gymnastics?

    Relevant Blogs

    Blog: Helping a Critical Child When You’re a Parent

    Blog: How to Support an Angry Young Athlete

    Using ACT and Mindfulness to Improve Your Sporting Performances

    Why You Should Meditate To Improve Your Sport Performance?

    Guided Mindfulness Meditation Practices with Jon Kabat-Zinn

    IF YOU ENJOYED TODAY'S SHOW PLEASE SHARE

    SUBSCRIBE AND LISTEN ON YOUR FAVOURITE AUDIO PLATFORM

    Also, kindly consider taking the 60-seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes, they’re extremely helpful when it comes to the ranking of the show and we read every single one of them!

    David Charlton

    Best Wishes 

    David Charlton

    Global Sports Psychologist who is located near Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK and willing to travel Internationally.  David also uses online video conferencing software (Zoom, Facetime, WhatsApp) on a regular basis and has clients who he has supported in USA, Canada, South America, UAE, Australian and New Zealand.  

    Managing Director – Inspiring Sporting Excellence and Founder of The Sports Psychology Hub.  With over 10 years experience supporting athletes, coaches, parents and teams to achieve their goals, quickly. 

    T: +44 7734 697769

    E: [email protected]

    Search Our Sports Psychology Website

    Popular Categories

    Join Our Online Community Now!

    Mental Edge Newsletter

    Are you an athlete, coach or parent that would like to learn how to create sustainable high performance? Receive our free regular newsletter, where we share proven mental toughness and high performance tips and strategies. If you want some support and motivation straight to your inbox, then sign up below.

      We won't send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time.

      Is Striving For Perfection A Good Thing In Gymnastics?

      Is Striving For Perfection A Good Thing In Gymnastics?

      Is Striving For Perfection A Good Thing In Gymnastics?

      Dr. Alessia Bruno is a Clinical and Sports Psychologist, Mental and Performance Trainer specialising in Brainspotting and EMDR. She lectures at National Sport congresses and holds courses accredited by the Ministry of Health.  She helps athletes and performing artists to overcome blocks, choking, slumps, yips, trauma and works with expansion to take people and their potential beyond to where it was before the issue.

      Alessia Bruno

      Clinical and Sports Psychologist – Dr. Alessia Bruno

      In episode 142 of Demystifying Mental Toughness, Dr. Alessia Bruno and David discuss perfectionism in gymnastics as well as across other sports and walks of life.  We go on to look at healthy perfectionism, as well as the downsides to the trait where we share some advice for gymnasts, athletes in general, coaches and parents.

      Key Learning Points

      • Gymnasts are judged on their performances which can go on to impact their self-esteem.
      • The intensity of their lives can mean some gymnasts run the risk of burnout.
      • Characteristics of rigidity and control can lead people to be more vulnerable to other people’s judgments.
      • Perfectionist traits can suck the fun out of sport.
      • Social approval can be a big problem for some athletes where they spend a lot of time worrying about what others think.
      • Striving for perfection can lead to excessive self-criticism.

      Connect with Professor Alessia Bruno

      Website

      Connect with David Charlton

      Sign Up to Conversations with Kids

      Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub

      Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn

      Relevant Podcast Episodes

      Ep014: Alessia Bruno – The Yips, Crashes, Trauma in Sport there is hope for Athletes

      Ep122: Prof Camilla Knight – Helping Your Children Get The Most From Their Sporting Experiences

      Ep129: David Charlton – How to Deal with Self-Criticism using Self Compassion – PT1

      Ep130 David Charlton – How to Deal with Self-Criticism using Self Compassion – PT2

      Ep131 David Charlton – How to Deal with Self-Criticism using Self Compassion – FINAL PART

      Other Relevant Blogs and Resources

      Blog: How to Stay Relaxed as a Gymnast When the Pressure is On

      Blog: How to Overcome Psychological Blocks in Gymnastics

      Blog: Body Image in Sport

      Blog: Bullying -The Dark Side of Sport

      Gymnastics Psychology Library

      IF YOU ENJOYED TODAY'S SHOW PLEASE SHARE

      SUBSCRIBE AND LISTEN ON YOUR FAVOURITE AUDIO PLATFORM

      Also, kindly consider taking the 60-seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes, they’re extremely helpful when it comes to the ranking of the show and we read every single one of them!

      David Charlton

      Best Wishes 

      David Charlton

      Global Sports Psychologist who is located near Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK and willing to travel Internationally.  David also uses online video conferencing software (Zoom, Facetime, WhatsApp) on a regular basis and has clients who he has supported in USA, Canada, South America, UAE, Australian and New Zealand.  

      Managing Director – Inspiring Sporting Excellence and Founder of The Sports Psychology Hub.  With over 10 years experience supporting athletes, coaches, parents and teams to achieve their goals, quickly. 

      T: +44 7734 697769

      E: [email protected]

      Search Our Sports Psychology Website

      Popular Categories

      Join Our Online Community Now!

      Mental Edge Newsletter

      Are you an athlete, coach or parent that would like to learn how to create sustainable high performance? Receive our free regular newsletter, where we share proven mental toughness and high performance tips and strategies. If you want some support and motivation straight to your inbox, then sign up below.

        We won't send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time.