2 06, 2022

How Emotional Baggage Starts Out Functional, Then Becomes Dysfunctional

By | June 2nd, 2022|Categories: Personal Growth, Psychology|Tags: , , , , , , , , |1 Comment

The term “emotional baggage” has become an entrenched part of the personal-development culture. Emotional baggage is typically described as unresolved emotional issues from our childhood, including acute trauma, physical, psychological, or sexual abuse, ongoing stressors, family dysfunction, and other negative experiences, that shape our attitudes, emotions, and behavior, and detrimentally influence our current lives. Moreover, [...]

5 10, 2021

Amygdala or Pre-frontal Cortex: Which Would You Rather Use?

By | October 5th, 2021|Categories: COVID-19 Crisis, Personal Growth, Psychology|Tags: , , , , , , , , |0 Comments

Over my decades-long history as both a blogger, author, and public speaker (as well as being a Ph.D. in Psychology who sees clients), I have come to appreciate the power of words. I often hear someone say that “it’s just a semantic difference” when discussing the use of different words that are seen as having [...]

14 09, 2021

How to Ride the Triathlon Emotional Rollercoaster

By | September 14th, 2021|Categories: Triathlon|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |0 Comments

One of the things I love most about being a triathlete is the range and intensity of emotions our sport evokes in me. Doing triathlons is like living life with the volume turned up. There is something about triathlon that peels away the layers of our emotions and causes us to feel them in their [...]

7 09, 2021

What’s in Your Emotional Chamber of Pain? (Part I)

By | September 7th, 2021|Categories: Personal Growth, Psychology|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |1 Comment

My experience, both professionally and personally, is that few people emerge from childhood unscathed from their upbringings. You get your psychological and emotional baggage from your parents (e.g., neglect, abuse), peers (e.g., rejection, bullying), traumatic experiences (e.g., loss of a parent or sibling), or popular culture (e.g., unhealthy values, expectations), to name a few. Sadly, [...]

21 06, 2021

Inside the Tri-Mind: Out Of The Blues: Dealing With Post-Race Depression

By | June 21st, 2021|Categories: Triathlon|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |0 Comments

Anyone who has ever committed considerable time and energy to training and competing in a triathlon that is important to them knows the feelings. During training and the race, you are motivated, excited, and energized. As you cross the finish line, you are psyched, elated, and joyous at having accomplished your goal. Up to that [...]

24 05, 2021

Inside the Tri-Mind: Become an Emotional Master in Triathlon (and Life)

By | May 24th, 2021|Categories: Triathlon|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |0 Comments

In the first three articles in my series on the impact of emotions in triathlon, I introduced you to how emotions can be weapons or tools in our triathlon efforts, how to break the negative emotional chain, and how to ensure that you feel disappointment rather than devastation, respectively. In the final article in the [...]

26 04, 2021

Do You Experience Disappointment or Devastation After a Subpar Triathlon?

By | April 26th, 2021|Categories: Triathlon|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |0 Comments

It never feels good to have a bad race. You perform poorly and you naturally feel awful. It’s normal to experience negative emotions in reaction to results that don’t live up to your expectations. But what specific negative emotion you experience has a big influence on how that subpar performance affects you in the near [...]

12 04, 2021

Inside the Tri-Mind: Break the Negative Emotional Chain in Your Tri-life

By | April 12th, 2021|Categories: Triathlon|Tags: , , , , , , , , |1 Comment

One of the great emotional obstacles you will experience as a triathlete involves what I call the negative emotional chain. The negative emotional chain includes a linked series of unpleasant and interfering emotions you experience as you face the inevitable challenges of developing as a triathlete and making often-times unsteady progress toward your goals. The [...]

29 03, 2021

Inside the Tri-mind: Exploring the Emotional Side of Triathlon

By | March 29th, 2021|Categories: Triathlon|Tags: , , , , |1 Comment

Emotions play a vital, yet often underappreciated, role in triathlon performance. In fact, emotions aren’t just important in triathlon, but, even more so, in our lives in general. Emotions give our lives and our triathlon participation texture, depth, and richness. Often without realizing it, emotions are what propel you in your triathlon life. Ask yourself [...]

18 02, 2021

Train Your Mind for Athletic Success Podcast: Episode #32-Emotional Mastery

By | February 18th, 2021|Categories: Train Your Mind for Athletic Success (Podcast)|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |0 Comments

Episode #32: Emotional Mastery of my Train Your Mind for Athletic Success podcast is the third of three episodes that explore the powerful influence of emotions on sports performance. Sports can evoke a wide range of emotions, from inspiration, pride, exhilaration, and satisfaction, to fear, frustration, anger, and panic, often in a very short time [...]