Sarah's Sports Psych Surgery Ep 1: Nerves and Anxiety #sportspsychology #runningtips

Sports psychologist Sarah Knapp shares insights into how anxiety impacts runners, strategies to manage nerves before and during races, and practical mental skills to enhance performance and enjoyment in running. 00:00 - Introduction to the episode and Sarah Knapp’s background 00:45 - Sarah’s experience working with athletes in football, cricket, and running 04:15 - How anxiety shows up in runners and its physical symptoms 04:47 - The effect of nerves before and during races 05:43 - Catastrophizing thoughts and their impact on performance 06:12 - Overwhelm and fear in mid-race nerves 07:15 - Strategies to cope with anxiety at the start and during races 07:47 - Normalizing nerves and understanding their role in competition 09:10 - Noticing and embracing feel of anxiety to make better decisions 11:10 - Handling anxiety spikes during a race 12:09 - Connecting actions and thoughts to personal values 13:04 - Using focus cues to stay grounded during races 15:23 - The importance of mental rehearsal and planning ahead 16:41 - Different focus strategies depending on race goals 17:53 - A fun, unconventional mental tip involving visualization of a chocolate bar 19:46 - Sneak peek at future topics, including post-goal motivation dips Find Sarah at: https://www.mindsetforperformance.co....