Hey Baller,

this is Chris from Play Mentally Stronger! Welcome back at the halftime-break. Have you ever had a situation, where you got criticized and you felt negative emotions, anger and frustration? Have you ever been in a situation, where you totally freaked out, based on the fact, that the criticism was way over the top?

Wait

So 1^st of all, football players often face criticism and frustration in the spotlight. So it´s important to learn strategies, how to handle such situations and maintain your mental strength, performance on pitch and inner peace at the same time. One effective strategy is just to wait and not react immediately. For this you carefully need to consider the stimulus and response theory from B.F. Skinner, an American psychologist, because there is always a short space in-between, which gives you the choice how to react. So let´s say the Coach informs you, that you won´t be in the initial lineup. That´s frustrating, isn´t it? So you can freak out, be highly emotional and show everybody your infantile behavior, or you can just react like a champion, wait before you respond and demonstrate the Coach not only your acceptance, but furthermore that you´re ready to serve nonetheless.

Analyze

So, as I said, it is advisable to pause for a moment before responding to criticism or frustration. By taking time to evaluate your own emotional state, one can avoid impulsive or inappropriate reactions. This pause allows yourself to calm down, analyzing the situation from a helicopter perspective and ask yourself, how to improve? If you want it or not, there is always a reason for someone’s decision.

So, during this pause, it is important to analyze the potential reasons for the criticism and the resulting frustration and create a realistic awareness. One should try to understand the intention of the criticism and consider whether it makes sense, or not!? This means that you try to put yourself in the other person's shoes and consider the situation from his perspective. This promotes not only empathy, furthermore it enables a generally better understanding, as well as follow up decision. Let's say you have training. The training is chaotic. At some point, you lose the ball in a pretty simple situation and the Coach gets super angry! It is important to take into account what has happened before, because it is very likely that the Coaches reaction is just a result to everything the whole team did before. Don't take it personally, take it professionally.

Stay humble

Something very important, adopt a humble attitude and accept that no one is perfect. If I say no one, I mean no one, so this includes the Coach as well, right? Everybody makes mistakes and no one likes criticism. By acknowledging one's fallibility, you can focus on the constructive aspects of the criticism and identify opportunities for improvement. This humble mindset gives you the opportunity for personal development and growth.

Treat others like you want to be treated yourself

Furthermore, you should consider how you would like to be treated. That's how you can develop greater sensitivity for the respective circumstances. It is important to recognize that respectful and constructive communication benefits all parties involved and can lead to better understanding.

In summary, learn to wait. Do not react immediately. Consider the moment of choice between stimulus and response, to develop an appropriate reaction. Empathize with the other person's perspective and maintain humility in order to question the criticism more effectively and identify constructive aspects. Finally, treat others as you want to be treated esp. in presence of 3^rd parties and always maintain a respectful communication to foster better understanding and contribute to positive change.

Do this  

Specific steps you could take to change:

1. Seek feedback from trusted people. This demonstrates a willingness to learn and grow.
2. Reflect on your performance. Identify strengths and weaknesses objectively and set specific goals for improvement.
3. Attend a media training. This will enable you to respond to criticism or questions in a professional and constructive manner.
4. Foster open communication within the Team. This allows all to provide feedback to each other in a constructive manner and work collectively towards improvement.
5. Engage in self-reflection. Identify areas where improvements can be made.
6. Collaborate with sports Coaches or Psychologists. They´ll help develop coping mechanisms and a positive mindset.
7. Act as a role model on and off-pitch. This influences teammates and fans to adopt similar behavior and create positivity.
8. Engage with Coaches, Teammates, fans and the community even more. Building a strong connection with the community can generate support and understanding during challenging times.  

By implementing these techniques, you can proactively work towards personal growth, better self-management, and positive change within you environment.

Give me a like or leave me a comment, if you agree.

So, Play Mentally Stronger, I'm ready to serve you, whenever you're.

See you next time,

Chris

Disclaimer: all of my content is based on acquired knowledge, personal experiences, and assessments. There is no guarantee of success or achievement. Additionally, I am neither a doctor, therapist, nor a magician, so if you have any health-related concerns, I kindly advise you to consult a medical professional.