We’ve all had our fair share of losses over the years. It’s a fact of life, especially for those that love sports. One can’t win every time – all they can do is learn to lose with grace and move on to the next match.
Whenever a loss occurs, it helps to remember that there’s always something to learn from the experience. Remember that people tend to learn more from their mistakes than their success. This can be applied to the game as well.
Get Back Out There
When it comes to recovering from a loss, the biggest thing is not to give up. Get back out there and keep practicing. Don’t let one bad moment define the rest of your experience with this sport. It isn’t worth it.
Getting back out there has multiple benefits. The first being that it’ll remind a person of all the reasons they enjoyed this activity, to begin with. Their confidence will slowly trickle back, coinciding with the release of endorphins.
Tackle That Mindset
We can’t control our instincts – but we can change the way we think about the world. People fear failure because of the mental stress that comes with it. In essence, people are more afraid of losing than the actual act of losing.
This means that one can embrace the positive side of thinking – focusing on learning new skills, improving, and making positive changes to overcome those negative feelings that come with a loss.
For the record – this lesson applies to the parents of athletes as well. A study found that children can easily perceive how the adults around them feel, including handling failure. What they see can quickly become internalized if one isn’t careful.
Look for Improvement
The best way to handle defeat is by looking back and focusing on what you can control but do so in a positive way. Look for areas of improvement, and then work hard on improving those skills. In turn, this should help to boost confidence. When handled right, this positive outlook can quickly cascade, spreading to the rest of the team, as well as teaching lessons that can carry with you through life.