Perfectionism Solutions For Athletes
By: Misty Buck - Athlete Mental Health Coach and Contributor to HOFH
Perfectionism is a funny thing in sports. For some, it can be a motivating factor, and for others, it can manifest as a mental block that hinders performance. In today’s world where competition is at new heights and every play is broadcast all over the internet from streaming providers to social media networks, the spotlight on athletes is bigger and brighter than ever. The pressure is enormous. As a result, more athletes seek--and struggle with--perfectionism than ever before.
Why do athletes struggle with perfectionism?
While there’s no one particular reason why athletes struggle with perfectionism, there are a few factors that you face that others may not:
In sports, it’s normal for your performance to be critiqued. It comes with the territory. As an individual, this critical environment can get into your head and create low confidence.
As an elite athlete, you are a driven individual who is accustomed to performing under pressure. You set high standards for yourself, and you try to balance that with the high expectations that others have for you.
You want to reach and sustain a particular level of play. The competition is fierce. The more you perform at high levels, the more opportunities you’ll have.
There is a ton of admiration that comes from being on a team and playing exceptionally well.
On the flip side, there is also an inherent pressure to be everything to everyone from teammates to coaches to family, and so on.
The problem with this type of pressure is perfectionism is unattainable and can lead to burnout. Secondly, it throws you off of your game so that you’re no longer in a state of flow where you are free to play at your best. In addition, it makes you feel absolutely terrible when you make a mistake.
How to manage a perfectionist mindset:
The first step is to identify what drives your desire for perfectionism. Are any of these statements true for you?
A fear of making a mistake regularly holds me back from performing at my full potential.
When I make a mistake, I am mentally thrown off my game for a lengthy period of time and it’s hard for me to recover.
I am dealing with imposter syndrome. I think that If I’m not perfect, then they’ll figure out that I’m not as good as they think that I am.
If I don’t perform at superhuman levels, I’ll lose everything.
People only love me when I play perfectly.
Sports is all I have so if I’m not perfect as an athlete, I have nothing else of worth to give.
I struggle with anxiety and the need to control situations so I strive to be perfect in order to keep myself calm.
I struggle with OCD and I fear that if something isn’t perfect, then something really bad will happen.
Someone important to me once made me feel that I’m not good enough and it still haunts me so I try to be perfect to prove them wrong.
I am a star on my team and I feel like I have to perfect to carry the team on my back so that we are competitive and have a winning season.
I work hard so I should be perfect.
This list certainly isn’t all-encompassing so you may have another “why” not listed here. The goal is to figure out what is your specific definition of success and if/how perfectionism plays a role in that. There may be multiple reasons that are revealed over time as you work through your process. Once you have started to figure out the motive, the next step is to create a mindset shift around whatever is causing you to strive to be perfect.
Identify the old statement.
Make peace with it so that you can begin to let it go.
Acknowledge that it’s something that you are willing to do the work to change.
Decide that you want to grow.
Choose a new statement. (For example, Perfect is impossible. I do my best and I am worthy of my achievements.)
Write it down and put it in as many places as possible.
Repeat this statement multiple times a day. Over time, the repetition will help you adopt this new positive thought.
If you feel stuck, get help from a professional who can help you unpack what’s going on so that you can break through it.
If perfectionism is affecting your mental health and disrupting your daily life, help is available. Contact the Hall of Fame Health (HOFH) concierge service at (866) 901-1241. If you are experiencing a mental health emergency or require emergency assistance, please call the HOFH Crisis Line at 866-901-1245, call 911, or head to your nearest local emergency room.