Do you process your thoughts and feelings after a loss?
Most baseball players allow their emotions to stew after a loss, especially if they believe they were responsible for the loss.
Bottling up emotions creates several issues. When you avoid processing your thoughts and feelings, frustration, self-doubt, and anxiety build, potentially affecting your performance in the next game.
Can you think of a time when you couldn’t seem to get over a loss and carried the weight of that loss into the next game? You probably feared you would repeat the same mistakes or cause your team to lose.
Under those circumstances, anxiety overtakes your game, making it difficult to focus. When you fail to process past losses, you set yourself up for underperformance.
Processing a loss helps you learn from your mistakes and understand how to respond to game-time situations more productively. Processing your thoughts and feelings helps you deal with disappointment, alleviate anger, and release frustration.
Reflection clears your mind and helps set a positive, confident tone for your next game. You gain confidence and make better decisions under pressure in future games.
When you process and learn from a loss, you can elevate your performance and realize what you’re truly capable of as an athlete.
In Game 3 of the 2024 American League Championship Series, the New York Yankees had a 5-3 lead over the Cleveland Guardians headed into the ninth inning.
With two outs in the inning, Yankee pitcher Luke Weaver gave up a two-run game-tying homerun. Though Weaver was disappointed after the game, he quickly processed his feelings to put the situation into perspective and reset for Game 4.
WEAVER: “Really felt like I let the team down there, myself down. It’s baseball, things like that happen in the twist of an arm It just feels a little devastating but at the end of the day, you got to bounce back. We’re still in a good position.”
In the tenth inning, with the game tied, Yankees pitcher Clay Holmes gave up a two-run homer to give Cleveland a 7-5 win. Weaver and Holmes had both performed at a high level throughout the postseason heading into Game 3, combining for 13 2/3 innings of one-run ball.
After reflecting on the loss, Holmes realized it was just a single event, which helped him maintain his confidence.
HOLMES: “We’ve taken blows all year long, and there’s no doubt we can overcome this and bounce back.”
Once you process your emotions and sort out your thoughts, you will be better prepared and, thus, more confident for the next game.
Stewing in your misery, bottling up emotions, or ignoring your thoughts provides no benefit for future games.
Inaction sets you up for underperformance, mistakes, and failure. After losses, reflect on what happened, why it happened, and what you can do differently in the next game.
This strategy is a form of preparation that builds confidence and sets you up for future success.
Related Sports Psychology Articles
- Joe Saunders Stays Positive After Loss
- Play More Consistently in Baseball and Softball
- How to Manage High Expectations
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