Demystifying Mental Toughness

Have you ever thought about whether you breathe properly? Or do you take breathing for granted as something that we as living humans do automatically? Today's podcast episode will be a big help to you should you wish to know more about breathwork, where the founder of Influential Breathwork, Anna Parker-Naples and I discuss how our breathing patterns impact our mind and body. Performance and mental health benefits are also debated as is the use of deliberate cold immersion. Feel free to tune in! Key Learning Points: Simple changes to how we breathe can fundamentally change our health. A lot of people breath from their upper chest rather than from their diaphragm and stomach. Posture can impact our breathing. Our lifestyles today have a significant impact on our stress levels. Breathing can help us release and let go of some of the things in our bodies that we hold on to. With informed breathwork and cold water immersion people notice that their energy levels are much better. Check out the work of Dr Susanna Soeberg for the intricacies of cold water therapy. Connect with Anna Parker-Naples Facebook Anna Parker Naples Influential Breathwork Website Books written by Anna Parker-Naples Podcast with Impact: How to Start and Launch Your Podcast Properly Get Visible: How to have more impact, influence and income Connect with David Charlton Sign Up to The Mental Edge Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn Relevant Podcast Episodes Ep092: Dr James Hegarty – ACT in Sport, Improving Performance through Mindfulness Ep113: Polly Brennan – The Relationship Between Mental Fitness, Mental Health and Mental Toughness Ep138: Nick Littlehales – Why do the Mentally Tough see Sleep and Recovery as Important Ep158: Paul Gorczynski – How to Develop and Implement Mental Health Literacy Strategies Ep197: Nick Jonsson – Mental Health: How To Overcome Executive Loneliness Relevant Resources on Breathwork, Relaxation and Deliberate Cold Water Immersion Blog: Why you should meditate to improve your sport performance Website: Dr Susanna Soeberg - The Soeberg Institute Video: Professor Andrew Huberman and Dr Susanna Soeberg: How to Use Cold & Heat Exposure to Improve Your Health Video: Novak Djokovic and Wim Hof discuss Cold Therapy and Breathing Exercises The Wim Hof Podcast Website - H2O Trails

Mental toughness development is all about helping people deal with pressure better. In general, you'll see sports psychology practitioners advocate psychological skills training to create better decision makers in this regards. Our toolkit includes visualisation, cognitive restructuring, strategic goal setting, relaxation and sports hypnosis. In today's episode however I introduce a relatively new concept, cognitive skills training where Felix Lehmann, a UEFA B Certified Football Coach and co-founder of Cognigoals discusses how our brains can be trained systematically. We discuss 3 main elements to cognitive skills training; authentic two-footedness, game intelligence and creativity. Enjoy tuning in! Key Learning Points: When there's pressure on football players from opponents, with little space or time, players use their strong foot because it feels better, cognitive training seeks to change this. We help create new comfort zones for the weak foot with systematic training. Game intelligence in football describes the ability to act appropriately and generate optimal solutions in different game situations. If a football players cognitive flexibility has improved, as well as their inhibitory control and working memory, they will be able to perceive and process information a lot quicker. Self-awareness is critical for players, "as a coach I want football players to be able to observe themselves better." Adaptability is a secret weapon for football players, every game situation is different, so you have to adapt the best that you can. Therefore, cognitive training focuses on this where exercises and patterns that we use change regularly. Connect with Felix Lehmann Felix Lehmann on LinkedIn Felix Lehmann on X COGNIGOALS Website Connect with David Charlton Sign up to The X-FACTOR regular emails helping football and soccer players to get the most from their talent Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn Check out our library of content supporting football and soccer players and coaches Relevant Soccer Related Podcast Episodes Ep064: Edu Rubio – How to Support Young Footballers Ep146: John Nassoori – What Is The Role Of A Sports Psychologist In Football? Ep151: Compilation - Football Psychology: 50 Ways You Can Improve Your Performance Ep188: Gary Curneen – Helping Soccer Coaches Reflect On Their Approach #BITESIZE Ep193: Dan Abrahams – How to Help Footballers Get Out Of Their Own Way #BITESIZE Other Valuable Soccer or Football Resources Goalkeeping Psychology | Mental Skills for Goalkeepers Soccer Psychology | Mental Skills for Football Youth Sports Psychology | Mental Skills Training for Kids and Parents Frequently Asked Questions about Football or Soccer Psychology Frequently Asked Questions about Goalkeeping Psychology

Today, in the last of this 10-part series for footballer or soccer players, coaches and parents, I talk more about managing expectations, this time when your team is winning comfortably. Many players are guilty of taking their foot off the pedal, going into protect mode individually and collectively when this happens. I share why, because your attention is misdirected. Also, highlighted are ways in which you can redirect your focus so that you finish a match strongly and seek to dominate your opponent's regardless of the scoreline. Connect with David Charlton Sign up to The X-FACTOR regular emails helping football and soccer players to get the most from their talent Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn Check out our library of content supporting football and soccer players and coaches

In business and sporting organisations conflict is widespread and there is a need for leaders and managers to be able to prevent, manage and master difficult conversations to improve the overall culture. As a result, people then feel more respected and valued, job satisfaction improves, as well as performance and the mental health of those involved. Today's episode looks to help you in this respect where author and conflict crisis consultant, Nicole Posner, helps you understand the psychology behind difficult conversations and why we avoid them. She discusses what creates and drives conflict and offers some tools to better deal with conflict. Feel free to tune in! Key Learning Points: Fear can take over where we fear losing control, fear the confrontation or fear being judged. Our brain often goes into protect mode when we are faced with difficult conversations. Power dynamics play a huge role in conflict management. Unresolved conflict can play a part in mental health challenges for some people. Improving your self-awareness and emotional intelligence is paramount in conflict management and resolution. When giving feedback, being curious is a great tool to use as is listening attentively. By simply making time for small talk, you take a proactive approach in preventing difficult conversations. Connect with Nicole Posner LinkedIn Nicole Posner Conflict Crisis Consultant Website Book written by Nicole Posner And Breathe...: Prevent, Manage and Master Difficult Leadership Conversations in Business and Beyond! Connect with David Charlton Sign Up to The Mental Edge Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn Relevant Podcast Episodes Ep041: Paul McGee - How to Develop Interpersonal Confidence Ep120: David Charlton - Sport Coach Development: Helping Athletes Perform Better by Adapting How You Communicate Ep128: Paula Eddy-Wilcox – Can You Show Vulnerability and Be Mentally Tough? Yes! Ep199 Audrie Woodhouse – Leadership: How To Mentally Prepare Yourself For Public Speaking Ep201 Dr John Perry and Doug Strycharczyk - Even The Mentally Tough Can Find Things A Struggle Without Self Awareness Relevant Resources to Promote Positive Cultures Blog: 3 Tips to deal with bullying in sport Blog: Why You Should Recognise The Power of Your Words Blog: How Coaches Can Help Athletes Deal with Mistakes Blog: 5 Ways To Create A Psychological Safe Sporting Environment Blog: How Mentally Healthy is Your Clubs Sporting Environment The Mental Edge - How to Assert Yourself so That Other People Don't Throw You Off Your Game The Mental Edge - How to Improve The Skills of Team Captains

In episode 206, I add a further step to what I discussed in the previous episode, 204, when I talked about managing expectations. The situation I consider is big matches when football and soccer players can be guilty of focusing too much on opponents. The key message I look to spread includes how you can set process goals to shift your expectations away from your opponent's actions. To focusing on you and how you can make your opponent's life very difficult so that they don't enjoy playing against you. Enjoy tuning in! Connect with David Charlton Sign up to The X-FACTOR regular emails helping football and soccer players to get the most from their talent Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn Check out our library of content supporting football and soccer players and coaches

Today's podcast episode looks at how we as Sports Psychologists support injured athletes. My guest, Dr Carl Bescoby, the Injury Psychologist, goes on to share his knowledge in our discussion about the psychological and emotional difficulties that athletes can face, especially in the case of long-term injuries. Strategies to help athletes during the rehabilitation process, as well as, how they can help themselves become psychologically ready to return to sport are highlighted. Key Learning Points: The cultural side of some sports can contribute to some injuries, eg. playing through the pain barrier to remain in the team. When is an athlete psychologically ready to return to the sport should be considered by coaching staff. Suffering long-term injuries can be very difficult where athletes feel many different emotions similar to grieving such as shock, denial, anger, low mood, depression and acceptance in no particular order. Loss of identity can impact many athletes as they come to terms with their injury. It's important to give athletes space to process difficult emotions and normalise the process, as a practitioner. Visualisation is one strategy that can help athletes return to their sport with their confidence intact. Connect with Dr Carl Bescoby Instagram The Injury Psychologist Website Connect with David Charlton Sign Up to The Mental Edge Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn To listen to relevant podcast episodes that link to Mental Health Ep065: Dr Amy Izycky – Encouraging Mentally Healthy Cultures in Sport Ep124: Dr Keagan Hadley – Long Term Injuries: How to Confront Difficult Thoughts and Emotions Ep136: Charlotte Potts – Overcoming Tough Times in Professional Women's Football and Bouncing Back Stronger Ep138: Nick Littlehales – Why do the Mentally Tough see Sleep and Recovery as Important Ep158: Paul Gorczynski – How to Develop and Implement Mental Health Literacy Strategies Other Useful Resources linked to Mental Health Blog - 5 Ways to Create a Psychological Safe Sporting Environment Blog – How to Find Your Why Blog – Mental Health Guidance for Coaches When Supporting Athletes Blog: Using ACT and Mindfulness to Improve Your Sporting Performances Blog: How Mentally Healthy is Your Clubs Sporting Environment

A phrase you often hear from football managers, coaches and pundits is that football and soccer players "need to manage their expectations." You also hear that playing "expectation free" is a good thing so that you can play your football with freedom. In episode 204, the 8th of our 10-part series this is the theme that I discuss where I go on to give you some advice on how you can manage your expectations as a football or soccer player. Enjoy tuning in! Connect with David Charlton Sign up to The X-FACTOR regular emails helping football and soccer players to get the most from their talent Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn Check out our library of content supporting football and soccer players and coaches

Episode 203 of The Demystifying Mental Toughness Podcast features Jack Sunderland, a former professional boxer, currently a boxing coach and entrepreneur. Jack goes on to tell me all about the mental and physical challenges that come with the boxing. We also talk about how he helps the local community in West Yorkshire with the social enterprise, The Training Cave, that he founded and runs from a boxing gym in Batley, near Leeds. We talk about nerves, different psychological challenges that boxers come up against, the difficulties a build up to a fight causes and much more. Key Learning Points: The benefits of taking part in boxing include; increased confidence and self-esteem, self-discipline, and resilience. To get to the top of the sport it requires a lot of dedication and commitment, you have to be selfish with your time and your life. Breaks are important after training intensely for fights. Preparing yourself physically and mentally for challenges and difficulties is hugely important in combat sports. Be careful how much attention you pay your opponent. Connect with Jack Sunderland Jack Sunderland on LinkedIn Jack Sunderland – The Training Cave Website Connect with David Charlton Sign Up to The Mental Edge Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn Helpful Podcast Episodes Ep 065 Amy Izycky - Encouraging Mentally Healthy Cultures in Sport Ep 081: Stuart Wade - Mental Toughness in Combat Sports Ep 083: Billy Schwer – Life Lessons from a World Champion Boxer Other Useful Resources Blog – Do you focus too much on your opponent before or during a boxing match? Blog – How to Quieten the Mind when Fighting Blog – 3 Ways to use Visualisation so that You are Mentally Prepared to Win

In episode 202, the 7th of our 10-part series I build on the previous episode, and again I look to help the footballer who places too much attention on outcomes and results. As a result, fear of failure then becomes a big challenge for you to overcome. One of the answers in my eyes is to shift your focus towards the "key ingredients" that make up your best performances as I go on to share. Enjoy tuning in! Connect with David Charlton Sign up to The X-FACTOR regular emails helping football and soccer players to get the most from their talent Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn Check out our library of content supporting football and soccer players and coaches

Today's episode is a special, landmark episode as we enter the 200's! As a result, I decided to clip out some bite-sized bits from previous episodes featuring 3 leading authorities in the mental toughness domain; Dr John Perry, Professor Peter Clough MBE and Doug Strycharczyk, who go onto share their thoughts about the importance of self-awareness whether you are a mentally tough or mentally sensitive individual. Their insights come from years of applied work and academic research across sport, education, business and health domains. Enjoy! Key Learning Points: Developing self-awareness is very difficult for some people. You can develop yourself through reflection, enhancing your self-awareness, whereby you then go on to try out new things, you learn from different situations, you understand why you felt that way and why you reacted why you did in certain situations. The key driver in the development of mental toughness is self-awareness. Learning about our mental toughness can enable us to understand more about our mental approach in specific situations. Self-awareness then allows us to make the necessary changes to our approach so that we can perform better or improve our psychological well-being. Connect with Doug Strycharczyk and Dr John Perry Doug Strycharczyk | LinkedIn John Perry | LinkedIn AQR International Website Connect with David Charlton Sign Up to The Mental Edge Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn Handouts to compliment this episode: Understand your Mental Toughness tendencies To Listen to the Full Podcast Episodes Ep001: Doug Strycharczyk – The Importance of Mental Toughness Ep28: Prof Peter Clough – Why is Mental Toughness Important Ep35: Dr John Perry – Thrive, Don't Just Survive 2021 Ep050: Doug Strycharczyk, Peter Clough MBE & Dr John Perry – Mental Strength Does Not Guarantee Success Ep121: Doug Strycharczyk & Dr John Perry – What Is New? Developments in Mental Toughness Research and Practice