How improving your mental flexibility impacts your success rate
In my work as a mental performance consultant and sports counselor in Colorado, one of the most consistent patterns I see is this: it’s rarely a lack of athleticism or physical strength that holds athletes back. It’s the mental barriers — the inner critic, the fear of making mistakes, the “what if” mental spiral — that quietly erode confidence and hinder performance when the pressure is on. One of the most powerful tools I use to help athletes break through those barriers is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for athletes, an evidence-based approach that builds the mental resilience to perform at your best — even under pressure.
Most athletes have been taught to fight those thoughts. Push them down. Replace them with something positive. And while positive self-talk has its place, there’s a more powerful approach that I return to again and again in my work with elite athletes and teams: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or ACT.
ACT doesn’t simply ask you to silence your inner critic or challenge and replace your negative thoughts. It asks you to stay in the moment, face the discomfort and ultimately build a foundation of enduring mental resilience.
What Is ACT?
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for athletes is a modern, evidence-based form of psychotherapy that builds psychological flexibility — the ability to stay present, adapt to challenges, and keep moving toward what matters to you, even when you doubt yourself and feel uncomfortable.
Rather than teaching you to fight or suppress difficult thoughts and emotions, ACT helps you change your relationship with them. The goal isn’t to feel less anxiety before a big competition. The goal is to perform fully, even while anxiety is present.
For athletes, this is a game-changer. Here’s why.
Embracing Discomfort: The Power of Acceptance
Competitive sport is inherently stressful. Pre-competition nerves, the roar of spectator, the countdown of a clock or tie-breaking point — these common experiences naturally trigger feelings of anxiety, stress, and self-doubt. That’s not a flaw in your mental game. It’s a completely normal part of being an elite athlete.
The problem isn’t the discomfort itself. The problem is what happens when athletes try to eliminate it.
When you spend mental energy fighting your anxiety — telling yourself you shouldn’t be nervous, or that something is wrong with you for doubting your potential — you add layers of suffering, distraction, and probably self-judgement too. That’s a much harder place to compete from.
ACT teaches a different approach: notice the discomfort, name it, and let it be there without letting it control the steering wheel. This is one of the core principles of acceptance and commitment therapy for athletes — making room for discomfort rather than fighting it.
Imagine an elite gymnast preparing for a major competition. The anxiety she feels before stepping onto the mat isn’t a sign of weakness or impending failure — it’s her nervous system preparing her to perform. When she learns to acknowledge that feeling (“I notice I’m feeling anxious right now”) rather than battle it, she frees herself to compete regardless of her internal state. The anxiety doesn’t disappear, but it no longer has the power to derail her focus or her confidence.
That shift — from fighting your inner world to making space for uncomfortable feelings — is at the heart of ACT.
Now let’s shift our focus to the primary tenants of ACT.
Clarifying Values: Finding Purpose Beyond Results
One of the most powerful components of ACT is values clarification. This is the process of getting clear on what truly matters to you as an athlete — not just the outcomes you want, but the type of competitor you are and person you want to be beyond your sport.
Winning matters. Of course it does. But your values go deeper than results. They might include things like perseverance, authenticity, loyalty, integrity, or teamwork, just to name a few examples of my own. When you compete in alignment with your core values, your sense of purpose and identity as an athlete becomes rooted in how you show up — not just in whether you win or lose.
This is especially powerful during moments of adversity.
A soccer player who defines their values as commitment to their teammates and continuous improvement has something to hold onto when they miss a crucial shot or receive harsh criticism from a coach. They can ask themselves: Am I competing in alignment with my values right now? That question redirects focus from the outcome — which they can’t control — to their actions and attitude — which they can.
Values-driven athletes are more resilient, more consistent, and more fulfilled in their sport. They are far less likely to suffer premature career burnout. Not because they stop caring about outcomes, but because they’ve built an identity that doesn’t collapse when the outcome doesn’t go their way.
Mindfulness: Staying Present and Focused
Mindfulness is a cornerstone of ACT — and one of the most practical mental skills I teach athletes. At its core, mindfulness is simply the practice of being fully present in the current moment, without judgment.
For athletes, this means learning to tune into what’s happening right now in front of you in the arena — the feel of your breath, the strength of your musles, the sensation of movement — rather than replaying the last mistake or worrying about what your teammates are thinking.
A volleyball player who can reset mentally between points — letting go of the last play and being fully present for the next serve — is far more likely to play to the best of their ability on the next point. That ability to return to the present moment is a trainable skill, and mindfulness is how you train it.
Practical mindfulness tools for athletes include:
- Breath anchoring — using a slow, intentional exhale to return your attention to the present moment
- Body scans — briefly checking in with physical tension levels before competition or during breaks
- Sensory grounding — directing your attention to immediate physical sensations (the feel of the court under your feet, the weight of the ball in your hands) to interrupt mental spiraling
These aren’t complicated techniques. But practiced consistently, they build the kind of present-moment focus that holds up under pressure.
Defusion: Untangling from Unhelpful Thoughts
Here’s something worth knowing about the brain: it generates unhelpful thoughts constantly. I’m not good enough. I always choke under pressure. I’m going to let my team down. These thoughts aren’t facts — but when you’re in the middle of competition, they can feel like facts, and they can completely distract you, or worse — make you doubt your ability.
Acceptance and commitment therapy for athletes addresses this through a technique called cognitive defusion — learning to observe your thoughts as passing mental events rather than absolute truths.
The difference looks like this:
- Fused: “I’m going to choke. I can’t do this.”
- Defused: “I’m having the thought that I’m going to choke. I can shift my focus and prepare for the next play.”
That small shift in language creates distance between you and the thought. You’re no longer inside it — you’re watching it. And from that position, it has far less power over your behavior.
Athletes who practice defusion become less reactive to the inevitable self-critical thoughts that show up in competition. They can notice a thought, acknowledge it without buying into it, and redirect their attention to what they can actually control — their next action, their effort, their focus.
Commitment to Action: Building Consistency and Growth
The “commitment” in ACT is where values and action meet. It’s about choosing to move toward what matters to you — even when it’s uncomfortable, even when you’re tired, even when you doubt yourself, even when the outcome is uncertain.
For athletes, this shows up in the small daily choices: choosing to get extra reps in beyond your team training, analyzing film, reflecting on your mistakes, and committing to improving your mental game. Committed action isn’t about feeling motivated — it’s about acting in alignment with your values on days when your motivation wanes.
This is one of the most important distinctions ACT makes. You don’t have to feel confident to act confidently. You don’t have to feel ready to be ready. You commit to the action, and the feelings often follow.
How to Start Applying Acceptance and Commitment Therapy as an Athlete to Improve Your Performance
Here are three actionable steps to putting ACT principles into practice:
1. Defuse your inner critic. The next time you feel anxious, frustrated, or overwhelmed during practice or before competition, try simply naming the emotion: “I notice I’m feeling nervous.” That small act of labeling creates separation between you and the feeling.
2. Practice one mindfulness tool daily. Start with breath anchoring — three slow, deep breaths before practice every day. That’s it. Consistency matters more than complexity.
3. Connect with your values. Set aside 10 minutes to answer this question: What kind of athlete, competitor, teammate or leader do I want to be? Not what outcomes you want — but what qualities you want to embody. Write down your core values.
The Bottom Line
ACT isn’t about eliminating discomfort or silencing your critics. It’s about developing the psychological flexibility to achieve mental resiliency, despite the ebb and flow of your confidence and motivation. That’s the promise of acceptance and commitment therapy for athletes — not a quieter inner world, but a stronger, more flexible one.
When you learn to accept your thoughts and emotions rather than fight them, clarify what truly matters to you, and commit to purposeful action, you build a mental foundation that holds up not just in sport — but in every area of your life.
If you’re curious about how ACT and other evidence-based approaches could support your performance and well-being, connect with me. Book a free 15-minute consultation with Dr. Brooke Rundle here.
Headstrong Mindset combines evidence-based research with applied strategies to help you achieve your optimal potential and increase your enjoyment while performing.
References
Hayes, S. C., Strosahl, K. D., & Wilson, K. G. (2012). Acceptance and commitment therapy: The process and practice of mindful change (2nd ed.). Guilford Press.
Gardner, F. L., & Moore, Z. E. (2007). The psychology of enhancing human performance: The mindfulness-acceptance-commitment (MAC) approach. Springer Publishing.
Lundgren, T., Luoma, J. B., Dahl, J., Strosahl, K., & Melin, L. (2012). The Bull’s-Eye Values Survey: A psychometric evaluation. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 19(4), 518–526.
Moran, A. P. (2012). Sport and exercise psychology: A critical introduction (2nd ed.). Routledge.
Weinberg, R. S., & Gould, D. (2019). Foundations of sport and exercise psychology (7th ed.). Human Kinetics.