The Climate Inside You: Are You Your Own Support or a Harsh Coach?
Girls, today in my studies at The Open University there was a topic that made me stop and think. We talked about how parents can break a child athlete with excessive pressure. But do you know what I realised?
We often do the exact same thing to ourselves.
In sports psychology, there are two types of motivational climate. Look at them and recognise which climate you live in:
🔴 Ego climate — oriented only towards the result.
- I am doing well only if I am better than others.
- A mistake = a catastrophe.
- Self-esteem depends on numbers: on the scales, on the bank account, in likes.
- The consequence is constant anxiety, fear of failure, and rapid burnout.
🟢 Mastery climate — oriented towards development.
- I am doing well because today I did better than yesterday, or did something at all, even if it is 10 minutes, or 5.
- A mistake = a valuable lesson and experience.
- The main thing is effort, progress, and enjoyment of the process.
- The consequence is high self-esteem, resilience to stress, and the desire to keep going for many years.
Why is this important for us?
We often demand early specialisation from ourselves: being an ideal mum, a top manager, and a fitness icon simultaneously. We pressure ourselves like those parents from the video who expect Olympic gold from a 7-year-old child.
What to do today?
- Change the focus: Instead of “Why didn’t I achieve the goal?” ask “What did I learn today?”.
- Allow yourself to be a “multi-athlete”: Do not get obsessed with one single thing.
- Praise for effort, not for status: The attitude towards yourself must be warm. As they say in my lectures: “We do sport (and things) to become better people, not just to get a trophy.”
Remember: burnout happens not because we do a lot, but because we do not give ourselves the right to make a mistake.
What climate is in your head today: a harsh Ego or a supportive Master?