Performance anxiety

Since SPMI was founded in 2011 I have witnessed the rapid progression of how social media has infiltrated the lives of young athletes. From the acquisition of instagram by what was then Facebook in 2012 to shortly after, the first notorious selfie by Kim Kardashian. The rise of social media has been anything but beneficial to athlete development. It’s opened the door to an increase in performance anxiety, unhappiness, and in extreme cases, depression.

One of the worst feelings every athlete has experienced at least once in their life is choking. It's that moment when the athlete feels a sudden, unpleasant, overwhelming sensation, where their body and mind almost gets taken over by a performance virus. This virus, if you will, debilitates the athlete's performance and ultimately leads to a loss that should've never occurred. In my work at SPMI, I am fortunate to reach out and help athlete's overcome this disastrous feeling time and time again. I want to share a little about why it occurs and some ways to help combat the symptoms.