25/06/2026
They’ve done the work, they are peaking physically, hitting pbs and performing at their best. Then game day arrives, race day or a big meet… and it all comes crashing down.
Performance anxiety.
What it looks like:
Inability to sleep or restlessness the night before an event. Physically nauseous, vomiting, abdominal cramps, yawning, fatigue and feeling cold. Statements like… “I’m not nervous… I just feel sick”.
It can also look like:
Forgetting how to do simple well rehearsed moves. There can be disproportionate fear and withdrawal from team mates or friends. Restlessness or even anger and lashing out.
Performance anxiety is very common in athletes of all ages. Amature or professional, experienced or new to competition.
Not only experienced in sport settings, it can be felt before interviews, school excursions, parties, exams and in any higher pressure moment.
It’s our body’s response to an unknown scenario or a known situation with a negative past experience. But most commonly, it is our response to being so fully invested in something that it becomes overwhelming.
It can be hard for athletes, parents and coaches to get a handle on or understand.
But with the right education and help from a psychologist, athletes can learn, in as quickly as just one session, the skills needed to identify what they are feeling. And with further work they can learn to harness that emotion into something great.
Contact our Psychologist Mylee Hawkins for more info. Or book an appointment online. Link in our Bio.
The Health Collective
54 Denman Ave Woolooware
www.thehealthco.com.au
9585 2346