In this episode of the Anxiety Society Podcast, host Cali Werner welcomes Ryan Judd, clinical director of the OCD Institute, to explore the critical role of sports psychology and performance mindset in managing anxiety and improving athletic performance. Drawing from personal experiences and professional insights, they dive into the intricacies of athlete psychology, examining how mindset can either hinder or enhance performance.

Key Insights:

• Mindset vs. Performance: The importance of understanding how mindset influences athletic performance, particularly in endurance sports, where mental fortitude is crucial.
• Types of Motivation: Discussion on intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation and its effect on performance, highlighting the need for athletes to cultivate intrinsic enjoyment of their sport.
• Embracing Mistakes: Acknowledging that mistakes are a natural part of the learning process and strategies to foster resilience instead of perfectionism.
• Process Goals: The significance of focusing on process goals over outcome goals to reduce anxiety and improve performance, allowing athletes to concentrate on what they can control.
• Coping with Performance Anxiety: Techniques to reframe anxiety as excitement and the value of pre-performance routines to enhance confidence without resorting to superstitions.

Notable Quotes:

• "The best athletes aren't necessarily perfect at what they do; they just recover from their mistakes faster." - Ryan Judd
• "Every time I go and run a race, I'm more anxious if I don't have anxiety because I need to be prepared." - Ryan Judd
• "When you can make losing an enjoyable experience, that's a skill for all of us to have." - Cali Werner

Timestamps:

• 00:00 - Introduction: Introduction of hosts and overview.
• 01:08 - Sports Psychology Discussion: Cali and Ryan share their backgrounds in sports and psychology.
• 09:14 - The Role of Mindset: Explaining how mindset affects athletic performance.
• 19:06 - Motivation Types: Discussing intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.
• 28:04 - Learning from Mistakes: The importance of viewing mistakes as feedback.
• 46:20 - Balancing Enjoyment in Sports: Strategies for enjoying sports even in competition.

Relevant Resources:

• Visit the Anxiety Society Podcast website: anxietysocietypodcast.com
• Follow the podcast on Instagram: @theanxietysocietypod

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