Navigating High School Sports Pressure: Sleep, OCD Routines, and Game-Day Anxiety

Written By Jason von Stietz

In this solo episode of The Mentally Fit Athlete, I answer another round of questions from high school student-athletes. Between school, practices, competitions, and everything else life throws at you, it's easy to get stuck in your own head. In this episode, I share practical sport psychology strategies you can use to manage pressure, stay present, and perform more like you do in practice—whether you're competing here, in Long Beach or Los Angeles, or working with me anywhere in California through telehealth.

Key Takeaways From the Episode

1. The Sleep-Performance Connection

  • The Problem: Late-night games and practices can make it impossible to wind down.

  • The Cost: Sleep deprivation devastates your reaction time, focus, and emotional control.

  • The Tool: Use Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR). Systematically squeeze and release your muscles to lower physical arousal and fall asleep faster.

2. OCD vs. Helpful Routines

  • Healthy Routines: Additive behaviors (like deep breathing) that provide grounding and focus.

  • OCD Compulsions: Rigid rituals performed strictly to avoid intense, overwhelming anxiety.

  • The Goal: Distinguish between the two to ensure your pre-game habits actually serve your performance.

3. Managing the Stress of Fame

  • External Noise: Reputation and public attention are completely outside of your control.

  • Internal Focus: Protect your confidence by focusing strictly on "controllables" like your technique, workouts, and recovery.

4. Cracking the "Practice vs. Game" Code

  • The Gap: Many athletes thrive in practice but struggle during official games due to performance anxiety.

  • The Tool: Try imaginal exposure. Purposefully visualize your worst-case scenarios to sit with uncomfortable emotions. This strips those fears of their power before you step onto the field.

5. Overcoming Emotional Avoidance with Improv

  • Mental Blocks: Performance barriers are often just forms of emotional avoidance.

  • The Solution: I combine Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) with improv comedy techniques. This helps athletes practice being in the spotlight, tolerate embarrassment, and perform through discomfort.

6. Enjoyment as a Competitive Edge

  • The Mindset: Fun is not just a "feel-good" goal.

  • The Edge: Genuine enjoyment keeps you engaged, focused on the task, and locked into the present moment.

Resources Mentioned

Connect with the host:

If anxiety, overthinking, or self-doubt are getting in the way of your performance, sport psychology can help. I work with athletes in Long Beach, Los Angeles, and throughout California to build the mental skills needed to compete with confidence while also addressing challenges like anxiety, OCD, and perfectionism when they're part of the picture.

If you'd like to see whether we're a good fit, schedule a free phone consultation. We'll talk about your goals, the challenges you're facing, and whether my approach makes sense for you.

Contact
Jason von Stietz
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Sport Psychology Q&A: Process, Mindfulness, and the Growth Mindset