(What the anxious mind isn't telling you)
Low confidence is not the result of an anxious mind but it does cause one.
If you are feeling anxious about a race or a challenge, you are probably doubting your ability to achieve the goals you've set yourself.
This doubt could be creeping in because you've set the bar too high or you haven't trained hard enough or smartly enough and your goals aren't realistic. If this is the case, consider redefining your goals to a realistic, but still ambitious level and as importantly learn from the experience so you don’t go through the negative feelings and process again.
So what if your goals are perfectly set and you still feel anxious?
Those sports-related doubts can be felt in other areas of your life, in different situations (work for example) but if you work on sport-related anxiety, you will benefit from increased confidence in every area of your life.
Outside of unrealistic sporting goals causing you anxiety, there may of course be other underlying reasons for your low confidence (perhaps from your childhood or teenage years) which you may wish to address.
When you find yourself anxious before a race think about resetting your goals for next time whilst still challenging and pushing yourself. Accompanied by individualised and structured psychological work allows this process to be carried out calmly and peacefully, benefitting your life as a whole.
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