Anxiety Management in Sports: Building Mental Resilience for Athletes
Sports are often seen as an arena for physical strength, endurance, and competition. But beyond the scoreboard and the highlight reels, athletes often grapple with an invisible opponent —anxiety. Whether it is the pressure of performance, fear of failure, or the struggle to meet expectations, anxiety can profoundly affect athletes at all levels. Managing this psychological stress is just as crucial as physical training, and it is an area where sport psychology plays a transformative role.
How Common Is Sports Anxiety? Insights from A Colorado Sport Psychologist
In the competitive world of athletics, anxiety is not only common—it is practically expected. According to sport psychologists across the country, including leading professionals in Colorado, anxiety affects athletes more frequently than most realize. Performance anxiety, pre-game nerves, and chronic stress are reported by athletes from middle school to the Olympic stage. And it is not just about being nervous before a big game; sports anxiety can be persistent, paralyzing, and harmful if left unaddressed.
Colorado, known for its vibrant sports culture and outdoor lifestyle, is also home to a growing network of sport psychologists who are helping athletes build mental resilience. Our virtual sport psychologist in Denver has worked with youth athletes, collegiate athletes, and professional athletes who have experienced performance anxiety in sports.
What makes sports anxiety so pervasive? A combination of factors: the constant pressure to perform, fear of letting down teammates or coaches, comparisons with peers, scholarship concerns, and injuries. On top of this, many athletes internalize the cultural messaging that they must “tough it out,” which makes them less likely to seek help.
While some level of anxiety is normal and even beneficial—it can heighten focus and energy—too much can lead to choking under pressure, loss of confidence, burnout, and even walking away from a sport entirely. And the statistics back this up. Studies have shown that nearly one in three collegiate athletes report symptoms consistent with anxiety disorders. In youth sports, where early specialization and intense training regimens are becoming the norm, the emotional toll can be even greater.
Our sport psychologist emphasizes the need for early intervention and education, helping athletes understand that anxiety is not a weakness—it is a challenge that can be overcome with the right tools and support.
Expert Tips on Supporting Athletes with Anxiety: A Guide to Counseling Techniques
Helping athletes manage anxiety requires a combination of compassion, evidence-based strategies, and a deep understanding of sport culture. Whether you are a coach, parent, or mental health professional, knowing how to support an athlete experiencing anxiety can make a lasting difference in their mental health and performance.
Here are some of the most effective techniques and strategies used in sport psychology at Sunrise Counseling in Colorado:
1. Normalize the Experience
One of the first steps in counseling athletes is helping them understand that anxiety is a common and manageable response. Sport psychology often uses education to reduce shame and encourage openness. Teaching athletes that even elite performers experience anxiety can help remove stigma and foster self-compassion.
2. Teach Mental Skills Training
Techniques like visualization, deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, and mindfulness are staples in sports psychology. These tools help athletes regulate their physical response to stress and regain a sense of control. For example:
Visualization helps athletes mentally rehearse success, creating a sense of readiness and confidence.
Box breathing (inhaling for 4, holding for 4, exhaling for 4, and holding for 4) can calm the nervous system and bring clarity under pressure.
Mindfulness encourages athletes to stay present, rather than catastrophizing about future outcomes.
Sport psychologists often develop customized routines for athletes to implement before games or during training.
3. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
CBT is one of the most effective therapeutic approaches for managing anxiety, including in sports contexts. It helps athletes identify unhelpful thought patterns (“I’ll fail,” “I’m not good enough”) and reframe them into balanced, constructive beliefs.
A sport psychologist might guide an athlete through exercises such as:
Challenging negative self-talk
Practicing realistic goal-setting
Learning to separate identity from performance
By shifting the way athletes think about stress and competition, CBT helps reduce anxiety at its core.
4. Use Exposure Techniques
Avoidance of feared situations—like taking the game-winning shot or returning after an injury—can reinforce anxiety. Sport psychologists sometimes use exposure therapy techniques to help athletes face these fears in gradual, supported ways. This might involve role-playing stressful scenarios or slowly reintroducing pressure in training environments to rebuild confidence.
5. Build a Supportive Environment
Coaches and parents play a vital role in anxiety management. Sport psychologists often consult with teams and families to build cultures where mental health is prioritized. This includes:
Encouraging open communication about stress and emotions
Valuing effort and growth over outcomes
Avoiding excessive criticism or unrealistic expectations
When the athletic environment becomes psychologically safe, athletes feel empowered to ask for help and perform with more freedom.
6. Establish Routines and Grounding Techniques
Anxiety thrives in uncertainty. Helping athletes build pre-performance routines can create consistency and predictability, which soothes anxiety. A routine might include a specific warm-up sequence, a grounding mantra, or listening to a calming playlist before a game. These habits reinforce a sense of control and readiness.
7. Know When to Refer
Finally, it’s essential to recognize when sports anxiety is part of a broader mental health concern. If anxiety begins to interfere with sleep, appetite, relationships, or daily functioning, a referral to a licensed mental health professional is necessary. Sport psychologists are trained to assess and treat more severe anxiety disorders while still keeping performance in mind
Thrive On and Off the Field—Final Thoughts From an Online Sport Psychologist in Denver
Anxiety in sports is not a sign of weakness. When addressed properly, anxiety can be transformed from a barrier into a catalyst for growth. With the help of sport psychologists and strong support systems, athletes can learn to compete with clarity, confidence, and resilience.
As more professionals, coaches, and parents become aware of the emotional side of athletic performance, the stigma around mental health in sports is beginning to break down. And that means more athletes will be able to thrive—on and off the field.
Take Control of Your Anxiety and Build Mental Strength With Online Sport Psychologist Help in Denver, CO
Struggling with anxiety in sports doesn’t mean you’re weak. It means you’re human. With the right guidance, you can transform performance anxiety into focus, confidence, and resilience that lasts well beyond competition. Sport psychology online in Denver offers practical tools to help athletes calm their minds, manage stress, and perform at their best when the pressure is highest.
At Sunrise Counseling, we know the weight athletes carry on and off the field. Our Denver-based sport psychologist is here to help you navigate the mental demands of competition while strengthening your ability to handle setbacks and stress. Together, we’ll create strategies that allow you to stay calm under pressure, focus when it matters most, and enjoy your sport again.
Anxiety doesn’t have to control your performance. With the right support, you can break free from mental barriers, build resilience, and unlock your full potential as an athlete.
Here’s how to begin online sport psychology in Denver, CO:
Learn how sport psychology can support your performance and mental health when you schedule your consultation.
Work with a virtual sport psychologist in Denver, CO, who understands the challenges athletes face with anxiety.
Begin building resilience and confidence so you can compete with clarity, strength, and focus.
Other Services Sunrise Counseling Offers in Colorado & Texas
Anxiety can be one of the biggest hurdles an athlete faces, both on and off the field. With the support of sport psychology, you can develop tools to calm your mind, sharpen your focus, and compete with confidence—skills that carry over into every area of your life.
At Sunrise Counseling, we know that anxiety is often only one piece of the puzzle when it comes to mental health. That’s why our care goes beyond sport psychology to address the full range of challenges athletes and non-athletes may encounter. From our Dallas, TX office and through online sessions available across Colorado and other PSYPACT states, we provide holistic, evidence-based support tailored to your needs.
In addition to sport psychology, we offer therapy for concerns such as depression, trauma, grief, and anxiety management. Our services extend to individual counseling for men, women, and children, as well as therapy for families and couples. We also provide specialized support in areas like anger management, chronic pain, OCD, postpartum depression, miscarriage, and infertility. For those who prefer a spiritual component, we offer faith-based counseling, and we proudly provide services for Spanish-speaking clients as well.
No matter what you’re struggling with, our team is here to guide you toward healing, resilience, and long-term well-being. We invite you to explore our blog for more resources and connect with us when you’re ready to take the next step.
About the Author
Dr. James Ramarushton is a licensed psychologist in the states of Colorado and Texas. He also holds PSYPACT certification, which allows him to work with clients remotely in the majority of states in the US. Dr. Ramarushton graduated with a PhD in Counseling Psychology and a specialization in Sport Psychology from the University of North Texas, one of the premier sport psychology programs in the country. He is also certified with the Association of Applied Sport Psychology as a Certified Mental Performance Consultant.
Dr. Ramarushton is trained in the various techniques that sport psychology utilizes to help with performance anxiety, which is one of the most common concerns that he sees with his athlete clients. A former collegiate athlete himself, he considers himself fortunate to work in the world of sports and help athletes.