Do you ever have a loud inner critic that constantly wears down your self-esteem, and increases your self-doubt?
Is an athlete’s ability to talk themselves down from a negative, erratic mindset a sign of weakness, or evidence of mental toughness?
Welcome to the sport psychology of, I’m Gabe Zelico. Today, we’re breaking down the sport psychology of self-compassion.
One of the researchers contributing to the literature on self-compassion is Dr Zoi Zompopoulou, a sport and exercise psychologist based in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. She completed her doctoral studies at Glasgow Caledonian University. She is currently running her own sport & exercise psychology support business, Creative Sport Mind, and working as a psychology lecturer at Newbattle Academy College.
In this episode, you’ll hear discussions around whether or not self-compassion can lead to complacency, tangible methods to develop self-compassion, Zoi’s doctoral research, and more.
Enjoy!
Timestamps:
(00:00) Episode introduction
(01:30) What is self-compassion?
(06:24) Team culture amplifying inner critics
(08:10) The difficulty of self-compassion
(12:50) Does self-compassion equal weak-minded or soft?
(16:43) Self-compassion and complacency
(21:23) Why are we more compassionate toward others than ourselves?
(25:12) Positivity among teammates - team contract
(27:57) Wrong ways to be self-compassionate
(31:27) How self-compassion leads to mental toughness
(32:58) Self-compassion reducing burnout symptoms
(37:17) Self-compassionate athletes handling adversity
(42:01) Self-compassion and motivation
(43:51) Self-compassion as a life skill
(46:56) Meditation, mindfulness, and visualizing
(55:30) Reframing
(01:02:28) Self-reflection and journaling
(01:05:03) Client success: psychoeducation and evolutionary psychology
(01:10:46) Outro
Website www.creativesportmind.com
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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.