Demystifying Mental Toughness4 Jun 2021

065 Encouraging Mentally Healthy Cultures in Sport

Today's podcast episode looks at how elite sporting environments can impact an athlete's mental health and psychological wellbeing. My guest, Clinical Psychologist, Amy Izycky has recently released a book called Skewed to the Right Sport Mental Health and Vulnerability which we go on to discuss.

The episode helps you understand the intricacies of different sports such as rowing and combat sports where we go on to discuss the complexities of weight restrictions in these sports. We also chat about high-performance sport in general and how it can promote obsessive behaviours and perfectionism. Macho behaviour and cultures which are associated with "Toughness" and incorrectly Mental Toughness is also often encouraged in sport and we look at the potential impact on an individual's mental health.

Key Learning Points:

Rowing prides itself on being one of the most challenging sports where only the toughest can do it well because of the levels of commitment and the need to push through mental barriers.
Certain personality traits such as focus, discipline and aggression, are celebrated in sport and they're put on a pedestal, though they can have a negative impact on an athlete's mental health.
Anger or aggression are great qualities in sport when you strive for specific goals however some individuals can struggle to control this away from their sports, putting the individual and people around them at risk.
Clinical psychologists are interested in supporting athletes who operate at the extreme end of needing "control" or the extreme versions of "toughness".
My role as a Sports Psychologist is concerned with optimising performance, proactively maintaining and enhancing psychological wellbeing. I'm also able to identify if there are any mental health concerns that link to anxiety, depression, eating disorders and addiction. At that point, I'd signpost onto mental health specialists such as clinical and counselling psychologists.

Connect with Amy Izycky

Instagram

Website

BOOK: Skewed to the Right, Sport, Mental Health and Vulnerability

Connect with David Charlton

Accelerator Course: Achieving Your Goals Faster

Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST

Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub

Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn

To Listen to the Full Podcast Episodes

Podcast Ep011: Dave Algeo - Mental Toughness, Mental Health and High Performance

Podcast Ep018: Kieron Brady - From Professional Football to Alcoholism Consultant

Podcast Ep031 David Jueno - How to Turn Your Life Around and Inspire Others

Other Useful Resources linked to Mental Health

Blog - Make Better Decisions to Help Your Sport Performance

Blog - 5 Ways to Create a Psychological Safe Sporting Environment

Blog – 3 Tips to Deal with Bullying in Sport

Podcast – The Importance of Effective Communication in Sports

Podcast - How to Build Interpersonal Confidence

Podcast – How to Assert Yourself

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Episoder(312)

312 Dr John Perry: How Sport Coaches Influence Mental Toughness

To end a recent series on the coach-athlete relationship, in this bonus episode of the Demystifying Mental Toughness Podcast, David Charlton is joined by Dr John Perry, Head of Department of PE and Sp...

3 Apr 50min

311 Learning Orientation: When Coaches and Athletes Think Differently

In this episode David concludes the eight-part series exploring the coach–athlete relationship by focusing on a powerful concept within the Challenge pillar of the 4Cs model of Mental Toughness, learn...

27 Mar 11min

310 Risk Orientation: When Coaches and Athletes Think Differently

Description Today, David Charlton explores another dynamic within the coach–athlete relationship: differences in risk orientation (a sub-measure of Mental Toughness). He discusses a common scenario ...

20 Mar 10min

309 Interpersonal Confidence: When Coaches and Athletes Think Differently

In this episode of the Demystifying Mental Toughness Podcast, David Charlton explores an often overlooked aspect of confidence in sport, interpersonal confidence. He discussed a common dynamic seen in...

13 Mar 8min

308 Confidence In Ability: When Coaches and Athletes Think Differently

Today, David Charlton explores a powerful but often misunderstood dynamic in sport: the highly confident coach working with an athlete who lacks confidence in their ability. At first glance, this com...

6 Mar 11min

307 Achievement Orientation: When Coaches and Athletes Think Differently

In part 4 of this mini-series, David Charlton explores a challenging but common sport dynamic: the high achievement-oriented athlete working with a low achievement-oriented coach. The athlete is orga...

27 Feb 10min

306 Goal Orientation: When Coaches and Athletes Think Differently

In this episode (part 3) of Demystifying Mental Toughness, David Charlton continues his solo series exploring the 4Cs of Mental Toughness through the coach–athlete relationship lens. The focus this w...

20 Feb 12min

305 Emotional Control: When Coaches and Athletes Think Differently

In this episode of Demystifying Mental Toughness, David Charlton continues in part two of his solo series exploring the 4Cs of Mental Toughness through the coach–athlete relationship lens. The focus ...

13 Feb 18min