{"id":342,"date":"2009-08-05T17:02:00","date_gmt":"2009-08-05T17:02:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports_psychology_blog\/?p=342"},"modified":"2025-06-17T06:29:03","modified_gmt":"2025-06-17T10:29:03","slug":"how-to-play-well-when-you-feel-uncomfortable","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/how-to-play-well-when-you-feel-uncomfortable\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Play Well When You Feel Uncomfortable"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-6812\" src=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/perfectionist.jpg\" alt=\"Perfectionism\" width=\"600\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/perfectionist.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/perfectionist-300x150.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Are_You_a_Perfectionist\"><\/span>Are You a Perfectionist?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 ez-toc-wrap-center counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-transparent ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Article Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #0769bf;color:#0769bf\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #0769bf;color:#0769bf\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/how-to-play-well-when-you-feel-uncomfortable\/#Are_You_a_Perfectionist\" >Are You a Perfectionist?<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/how-to-play-well-when-you-feel-uncomfortable\/#Related_Sports_Psychology_Articles\" >Related Sports Psychology Articles<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/how-to-play-well-when-you-feel-uncomfortable\/#The_Composed_Athlete\" >The Composed Athlete<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p>Does your performance suffer when you&#8217;re not &#8220;on,&#8221; you feel uncomfortable, or don&#8217;t have your &#8220;A&#8221; game that day? Do you struggle with staying determined and <strong>grinding out<\/strong> the competition if your game is off or the competition is too strong?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At an extreme level, I work with <strong>perfectionists<\/strong> that have trouble staying composed when their games are not up to self-imposed standards. They not only want to win, but they want their performance to look good and feel good at the same time. If they don&#8217;t perform close to perfection, they lose momentum, entertain doubts, and become easily frustrated&#8230;.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Athletes who are not perfectionists by nature also struggle with getting the job done when they don&#8217;t feel right or are not spot on. For example, I know basketball players who miss shots early in the game and they stop shooting for fear of missing more shots. I don&#8217;t think Michael Jordan would ever think this way&#8230; He keeps shooting and believes the next shot is going in!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-insights-archives\/\"><strong>Read Sports Psychology Insights Article>><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"block-979ef383-5bc7-43ee-b8f9-249663ca1a6c\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Related_Sports_Psychology_Articles\"><\/span>Related Sports Psychology Articles<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul id=\"block-05642731-8752-4dbf-9c18-5cc4d276e821\" class=\"wp-block-list has-normal-font-size\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/all-or-none-thinking-one-trap-for-perfectionists\/\"><strong>All or None Thinking: One Trap For Perfectionists<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/fear-of-failure-in-perfectionist-athletes\/\"><strong>Fear of Failure in Perfectionist Athletes<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/perfectionist-athletes-who-mentally-lose-control\/\"><strong>Perfectionist Athletes Who Mentally Lose Control<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-normal-font-size\" id=\"block-5726d13f-f715-4ca4-8813-2f8a9ebd8bc3\">*Subscribe to<strong>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/sports-psychology-podcast-by-peaksports-com\/id152566009\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Sports Psychology Podcast<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0on iTunes<br>*Subscribe to <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0ynyaalKxbnNmsoeL8gF5X?si=8224669de9b3435b\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Sports Psychology Podcast<\/a> <\/strong>on Spotify<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-normal-font-size\" id=\"block-281f5afb-980b-4c71-9aa0-11d606b5f7c9\"><strong>Download a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/mental-toughness-report-athletes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">free sports psychology report<\/a>&nbsp;to improve your mental game!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-normal-font-size\" id=\"block-94138e75-d591-4645-bb1d-212cf57a8841\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sport-psychology-training-athletes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Learn more about our one-on-one mental game coaching.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Composed_Athlete\"><\/span>The Composed Athlete<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"225\" height=\"250\" src=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/composed-athlete-small-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4434\" style=\"width:200px\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe Composed Athlete\u201d is presented on<strong> 80-minute Audio Programs<\/strong> with a <strong>70-page step-by-step workbook<\/strong> that guides you through the program each day. It\u2019s a complete system for conditioning your mind to have <strong>maximum composure in competitio<\/strong>n.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201c<strong>The Composed Athlete<\/strong>\u201d was developed for <strong>any level coach, parent, or junior to professional athlete<\/strong> who wants to improve performance and gain a competitive edge. It does not matter if you are a fledgling junior athlete; or a seasoned professional, plagued with distractions; or you just wanting to learn how to improve your composure\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-8fee86ee\">\n\n<a class=\"gb-button gb-button-df6f9eb5 gb-button-text\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/the-composed-athlete-cd-program\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">GET DETAILS<\/a>\n\n\n\n<a class=\"gb-button gb-button-9e238db0 gb-button-text\" href=\"https:\/\/shop.peaksports.com\/collections\/the-confident-athlete-series-digital-download\/products\/the-composed-athlete-digital\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">BUY NOW<\/a>\n\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Are You a Perfectionist? Does your performance suffer when you&#8217;re not &#8220;on,&#8221; you feel uncomfortable, or don&#8217;t have your &#8220;A&#8221; game that day? Do you struggle with staying determined and grinding out the competition if your game is off or the competition is too strong? At an extreme level, I work with perfectionists that have trouble staying composed &#8230; <a title=\"How to Play Well When You Feel Uncomfortable\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/how-to-play-well-when-you-feel-uncomfortable\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about How to Play Well When You Feel Uncomfortable\">Sport Psychology Article&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6811,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[61,56,3,4,12],"tags":[90,259,67,246,105,112,250],"class_list":["post-342","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-golf-psychologist","category-golf-psychology","category-mental-toughness","category-mental-toughness-in-sports","category-mental-training","tag-expectations","tag-golf-psychology","tag-grind-it-out","tag-mental-toughness","tag-perfectionism","tag-self-confidence","tag-sports-psychology"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t<!-- All in One SEO Pro 4.9.6.1 - aioseo.com -->\n\t<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Does your performance suffer when you&#039;re not &quot;on,&quot; you feel uncomfortable, or don&#039;t have your &quot;A&quot; game that day and you can&#039;t get into it? Read now!\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Patrick Cohn\"\/>\n\t<meta name=\"keywords\" content=\"sports psychology,golf psychology,expectations,perfectionism,grind it out,self-confidence,mental toughness,athlete expectations,golf psychology articles,perfectionism in athletes,self-confidence tips for athletes,sports psychology articles\" \/>\n\t<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/how-to-play-well-when-you-feel-uncomfortable\/\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"generator\" content=\"All in One SEO Pro (AIOSEO) 4.9.6.1\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Sports Psychology Articles | Sport Psychology Articles for Athletes, Coaches, and Sports Parents\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Playing Well When Uncomfortable | Sports Psychology\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Does your performance suffer when you&#039;re not &quot;on,&quot; you feel uncomfortable, or don&#039;t have your &quot;A&quot; game that day and you can&#039;t get into it? 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