Missing a tackle. Dropping a pass. Standing at the line knowing every eye feels locked on you. For some athletes, that pressure is not motivation, it is panic and it can hijack performance, health, and the ability to enjoy the sport at all.
We sit down with Michael Schiferl, a licensed clinical marriage and family therapist and the owner of Trailhead Counseling Services, to talk about sports anxiety and performance anxiety in a way that is practical and honest.
Nate gives his personal story of dealing with sports anxiety and how it derailed his lifelong love of playing sports.
We dig into the difference between normal nerves and a bigger problem, including red flags parents and coaches can watch for like nausea, GI issues, chronic tension, fatigue, appetite changes, withdrawal, and the mental spiral of catastrophizing and rumination.
Then we get concrete. Michael explains “above-the-neck” anxiety (the thoughts) versus “below-the-neck” anxiety (the body) and shares tools athletes can use right away: diaphragmatic breathing, muscle relaxation, grounding through your senses, and even quick temperature shifts like cold water to jolt the body out of fight-or-flight. We also talk about why avoidance quietly makes anxiety stronger and how exposure to mistakes and embarrassment can retrain the brain over time.
We close with what to say and what not to say to an anxious athlete, plus how to find a therapist who fits your values using consultations and resources like Psychology Today. If this helped you, subscribe, share it with a coach or parent, and leave a review. What part of sports makes you most anxious right now?
