The Impact Code - #24 Eileen Canney on Conquering Performance Anxiety and Empowering Athletes

Feb 21 2024 61 mins

Summary

Eileen Canney Linnehan, a former collegiate softball player and performance coach, shares her journey with performance anxiety, also known as the YIPS. She discusses how the YIPS manifested in her own career and how she overcame them. Eileen emphasizes the importance of acceptance and self-compassion in dealing with the YIPS. She also explores the challenges of transitioning from an athlete to a performance coach and shares rewarding experiences in helping athletes rewrite their stories. Eileen discusses the balance between positivity and reality and offers advice for young athletes facing similar challenges. Finally, she addresses the prevalence of the YIPS in sports and the importance of addressing denial in seeking help. In this conversation, Eileen Canney Linnehan discusses overcoming fear and self-doubt, the power of stubbornness, troubleshooting performance anxiety, misconceptions about the Yips, maintaining mental health while helping others, spreading awareness, and starting the journey to make a difference.

Takeaways

Acceptance and self-compassion are crucial in dealing with performance anxiety.
Transitioning from an athlete to a performance coach can be challenging but rewarding.
Balancing positivity and reality is important for mental resilience.
Teaching mental resilience involves helping athletes rewrite their stories and find joy in the process.
The YIPS can manifest in various ways and can be addressed through acceptance and seeking help. Fear and self-doubt can be overcome by choosing to bet on oneself and reframing challenges as opportunities for growth.
Stubbornness can be a superpower when it comes to persevering through difficult tasks and protecting what one cares about.
To troubleshoot performance anxiety, it is important to identify fears and reshape perspectives, seek help, and believe that it can be overcome.
Misconceptions about the Yips include laziness, mental weakness, and the belief that it cannot be fixed.
Maintaining mental health while helping others involves self-awareness, listening to one's body, and finding clarity through the journey.
Spreading awareness about performance anxiety and the Yips is crucial in helping people realize that it can be overcome.
Performance anxiety can lead to avoidance and giving up on certain activities, but awareness and understanding can help individuals overcome these challenges.
To make a difference, start by having a vision, being brave, and taking small steps towards that vision, inspiring others along the way.

Chapters

00:00
Introduction to Eileen Canney Linehan

01:34
Eileen's Journey with Performance Anxiety

08:33
Eileen's Collegiate Career and Overcoming the YIPS

13:39
Transitioning into Performance Coaching

15:07
Rewarding Cases and Helping Athletes Rewrite Their Stories

16:43
Defining Success in Performance Coaching

19:18
Balancing Positivity and Reality

24:31
Advice for Younger Self

29:08
Understanding the YIPS and How They Manifest

34:20
Prevalence of the YIPS in Sports

40:18
Approaching Denial of the YIPS