10 Cognitive Distortions That Sabotage the Amateur Athlete
A free guide with practical techniques from cognitive-behavioral therapy and Stoic philosophy , for athletes who want to train their mind, not just their body.
Do you recognize these thoughts?
- “If I can’t do the full workout, I’d rather not go at all.”
- “Everyone at the gym can see how little I’m lifting.”
- “I didn’t sleep 8 hours. The race is ruined.”
- “I NEVER make progress with my squat.”
- “I’m just not built for sports.”
If at least one of these thoughts sounds familiar , you are not alone. These are cognitive distortions: systematic errors in thinking that warp your perception of reality. And for most amateur athletes, they are the invisible brake holding them back.
What you will find in the guide
A 15-page PDF guide, based on 90+ publications and hundreds of hours working with amateur athletes. For each of the 10 distortions, you get:
- What it is , an explanation of the mechanism, without jargon
- How it looks in sports , a concrete example you will recognize in yourself
- A coping technique , from CBT and Stoic philosophy
- An exercise , something you can apply today
The 10 distortions:
- Black-and-White Thinking
- Mind Reading
- Catastrophizing
- Focus on the Uncontrollable
- Overgeneralization
- Emotional Reasoning
- “Should” Statements
- Mental Filter and Disqualifying
- Labeling
- Perfectionism as Self-Exploitation
Download the guide for free
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The mind commands the body. If the commands are wrong, the body follows wrong orders.
This guide was written by Vladimir Novkov , sport and social psychologist, ISSA Elite Trainer, author of synergisticman.com. It is based on cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and Stoic philosophy, applied to sport.