Performance Anxiety | Dr. Jim Taylor

Performance anxiety, the enemy of so many athletes who are striving for greatness, takes the confidence, and ultimately, fun, out of anyone’s sport.

Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to chip away at this detrimental consequence of the mind.

Dr. Jim Taylor is here to provide an abundance of tangible ways to reduce performance anxiety. Before that, we discuss the ways in which the mind is susceptible to performance anxiety.

Dr. Jim Taylor is considered one of the world’s leading authorities on the psychology of sports performance. He holds a PhD in Psychology and works with professional, collegiate, junior, and age-group athletes in many sports. He is the author of 19 books, including Train Your Mind for Athletic Success, and his blog posts have been viewed by more than 10 million people.

To learn more, you can visit his website, www.drjimtaylor.com, or follow him on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

You can also head to my website, www.zelicoperformance.com if you’re interested in mental performance consulting for individuals or teams.

Timestamps are below, enjoy!

(00:00) Introduction

(01:45) Introduction to Dr. Jim Taylor

(05:22) What is anxiety?

(10:03) The mind is not tangible

(13:40) Toolbox for the mind

(17:31) Mental training tools to relax; “psych-down” tools

(23:02) Unhealthy attitudes, perfectionism, and expectations; losing before you’ve begun

(36:09) Difficulty changing attitudes

(39:15) Coaches’ influence on performance anxiety

(41:05) Training/performance environment’s influence on performance anxiety

(47:29) Journaling

(51:55) Dr. Taylor’s non-negotiables in mental training

(53:30 Practicing imagery/visualization

(01:04:51) Self-talk best practices

(01:19:39) Awareness over mindfulness

(01:22:42) Routines

(01:30:39) Closing notes on performance anxiety

(01:31:57) Outro

--

See highlights from every episode on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and stay up to date by following The Sport Psychology Of on your podcast platform.

If you want to start working on your mental game, try out 1 on 1 sport psychology coaching with me, Gabe Zelico, by visiting my website ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.zelicoperformance.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠schedule a free introductory call⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ where we’ll discuss your goals, obstacles to success, and determine if we’d be a good fit to move forward.

You can also email me directly at gabriel@zelicoperformance.com regarding private coaching or the podcast.

Music by Ben Zelico.

Disclaimer: The Sport Psychology Of podcast is for general informational purposes only and does not represent mental health care services, including the giving of mental health care advice. The use of information on this podcast or materials linked from this podcast is at the user’s own risk. The content of this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional mental health care advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining mental health care for any condition they may have and should seek the assistance of their health care professionals for any such conditions.