Sport-Focused Services

Injuries happen. And when they do, the body’s stress response goes into action, “protection mode” is activated. “Protection mode” is an automatic response deep in our nervous system that is trying to protect us from experiencing adversity. Even after medical clearance to return to sport, our emotional responses can remain activated in “protection mode.”

Recovery is not just about physical preparations and mental toughness. There’s more to it. It’s also about addressing the whole physical and emotional self to repair emotional responses deep in our nervous system and teaching these systems to work together in harmony. Inner Flow Counseling LLC supports the emotional healing process in the mind and body to address automatic stress responses and the emotional “freeze” response that limits sports performance.

We all want to perform at our best. And at times, it feels like, “no matter how hard I try, I keep making the same mistakes” in my sport.

It can feel like your mind and body are not working together.

Have you ever felt like, “I know I have more to give, but something is blocking me.” Or “my mind knows what to do, but my body isn’t listening.”

Humans are complex. We are not robots and cannot be programmed through physical training alone.

Even when we have done everything we can physically, we often experience deeper emotional growth edges and potential for optimal performance.

Addressing mental and emotional wellbeing can expand your ability on and off the field.

It happens. We get in our heads. We focus on future outcomes and get ahead of ourselves. We want it so bad; we totally lose track of being connected in the present moment. If we are not present in the moment, how can our athletic self function at its best?

Making the decision to transition out of the sport you love is no easy task. Sometimes it’s a result of an unexpected injury. Sometimes we are faced with the reality that are time is up. Other times, we realize that we have grown past our sport and are heart just isn’t in it anymore.

No matter the reason, retirement is no easy task. It is a major life transition. It is letting go of or redefining our athletic identity. The sport identity that we spent most of our lives and countless hours building.

Questions often arise: Who am I outside of sport? Who are my friends? How will I spend my time? Why am I so intense with everything I do? Where do I go from here?

The one thing in life we will always be able to count on is change.

Transitions happen and when they do, we are forced to discover deep resolve and resilience to adapt and adjust.

Being an athlete is no joke! You surrender yourself to your sport, your coach, developing physical ability. You push yourself to your limits.

And…On top of all of this, you are expected to carry on just like everyone else.

Balance is critical AND does not always feel possible. It is so easy to lose yourself in sport. To dismiss your physical and emotional pains. To get into the “mind over matter” narrative.

At some point, being so far out of balance, takes its toll and our emotional self suffers. This can be wildly isolating and we can feel like we are letting everyone else down.

Being a parent of an athlete is no easy task. You give up so much for your child to participate in competitive sport. Time. Money. Vacations. Personal resilience. Resources. and so much more to create opportunity for your child to participate at the highest level. Your all in. It takes you own emotional investment. You become your child’s emotional support, coach, parent, enforcer, and so much more. And it can be hard to strike this balance.

Maybe you find it difficult to notice and understand the complex needs of your child on and off the field.

Maybe you find yourself struggling to understand why your child seems to FREEZE on the field, even though, you’ve seen them do it a million times in the past.

Maybe you’re struggling with your child losing their edge or passion for the sport that once meant so much to them.

Coaching is hard work. You are developing athletic skill sets at all levels. You are juggling emotional, mental, and physical ability. You are working with multiple athletes and often you find that what worked with one athlete doesn’t seem to be having the same impact with another.

Maybe you have noticed that your team has a tendency to FREEZE under certain circumstances.

Maybe you’ve noticed that your players/athletes are in their heads.

Maybe you are worried about your team’s emotional wellbeing.

Perhaps, you’ve noticed that your team is better than they are playing, and you can’t figure out what to do next.

Or, you are emotionally exhausted as a coach and feeling like you're burning from two ends.

We all want to do things just right and perform our best. However, we can get trapped in the perfectionist vortex and value perfection over flow. Working through perfectionism is hard work. Part of releasing perfectionism is being willing to make a mistake, willing to fail. Easier said than done.

Often times, perfectionism is rooted in deeper beliefs and self-worth. Working through these deep-rooted belief systems can help us face the potential of failure to reach our full athletic potential.

Afterall, there is no courage without fear.

Sometimes our body and mind become out of touch. When this happens, it’s almost like we are experiencing conflicting STOP and GO messages in our athletic experience.

When we face adversity, stressors, injuries, trauma, negative self-talk, etc. our athletic flow can become out of alignment and “protection mode” is activated at a subcortical level to protect us from experiencing these hurts/adversities in the future.

While this can be really helpful at times and in the short-term. It is not always helpful long term, and it can feel like you are literally fighting yourself to perform at your best.