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Monday 7am - 6pm Tuesday 7am - 11am 2pm - 6pm Wednesday 7am - 11am 2pm - 6pm Thursday 7am - 11am 2pm - 6pm

http://www.skadisportpsychology.com/

Skadi Sport Psychology, Minneapolis, MN (2025)

10/24/2025

Did you know that chronic sleep loss can reduce strength, endurance, and mental focus? Sleep is a key part of recovery for athletes, yet it’s often something we sacrifice in the name of busy schedules, training, or pre-race nerves.

Here are 5 ways to ensure better sleep and performance outcomes as an athlete:
1️⃣ Avoid extended sleep restriction—it can lower endurance and motivation.
2️⃣ Ensure consistency in sleep patterns, as even a few nights of deprivation affects your output.
3️⃣ Sleep extension (adding 60+ mins for 3+ nights) boosts endurance, especially when total sleep exceeds 8 hours.
4️⃣ Head to bed earlier instead of relying on "extra" morning hours. Your body thrives on fixed wake-up times.
5️⃣ Reduce screen time before sleep. Phones and games can delay your wind-down period, cutting into much-needed recovery.

💡 Research shows athletes often lose sleep due to training schedules or competition nights, but even minor adjustments, like managing bedtime routines or planning rest after events, can lead to big gains.

What’s your take? Which tip are you tackling first? Drop your insights below or share what’s currently working for you! ⬇️

10/22/2025

Here's a thought that might seem counterintuitive: The best athletes are often the best at saying "no."

We're conditioned to believe that more is always better—more training, more commitments, more hustle. But the most sustainable path to high performance isn't about about running yourself into the ground; it's about protecting your energy with intentional boundaries.

Setting boundaries isn't selfish. It's a strategic decision to create the space you need to recover, focus, and perform at your peak. It’s about clearly communicating your needs so you can show up fully, not just in your sport, but in all areas of your life. When you protect your energy, you're not just preserving it for your next training session; you're investing in your long-term well-being and preventing burnout.

Think of your energy as a finite resource. Every "yes" to something that doesn't align with your goals is a "no" to something that does—like adequate sleep, proper nutrition, or crucial recovery time.

By learning to set and uphold your boundaries, you empower yourself to train smarter, compete harder, and build a resilient foundation for sustainable success.

10/20/2025

Navigating insurance for therapy can feel overwhelming—but it doesn’t have to be! At Skadi Sport Psychology, we’re here to make things easier for you.

As an Out-of-Network (OON) provider, we prioritize YOUR goals, not the limits of insurance plans. Here's why we choose to remain OON:

✅ Flexible, personalized care designed for athletes
✅ No compromises on session quality or frequency
✅ Enhanced privacy and confidentiality
✅ Fair pay for our team, including interns

We also offer concierge OON insurance claims processing to simplify the process. That means we verify your benefits, file claims, and handle the paperwork so you don’t have to deal with Superbills or complicated reimbursements. In other words, we'll call your insurance, listen to the elevator music while waiting for a human, and will ask the questions needed to get you some answers. We'll then submit everything for you after each appointment.

Want to learn more about how OON benefits work or how we can help? Schedule a FREE consult today, and we’ll walk you through the process and answer any questions you have. It's a tricky process, but we have a good handle in it!

10/17/2025

Does your perfectionism fuel your performance, or does it hold you back?

For many athletes, perfectionism can be a double-edged sword. While it can motivate you to achieve great things, it often comes with burnout, constant self-criticism, and fear of making mistakes.

The good news? With a balanced mindset, perfectionism can be a tool for growth rather than a burden. Here’s how to find that balance:
✅ Define realistic, actionable goals.
💡 View setbacks as learning opportunities, not failures.
🎉 Celebrate steady progress, not just reaching perfection.

Perfectionism doesn’t have to leak into all aspects of your training or competition. Be intentional with your approach, and train in a way that supports both your success and well-being.

What’s one strategy you use to manage high expectations? Share your tips in the comments!

10/11/2025

Concussions and sleep are more connected than you might think.

Poor sleep after a concussion can prolong recovery, and athletes who sleep less than 7 hours post-injury often report worse symptoms.

What’s more, poor sleep before a concussion may increase your risk of injury and lead to more severe symptoms if you do get hurt.

The good news? Prioritizing quality sleep after a concussion can aid in recovery and help you get back in the game faster. Start small with these steps:
🛌 Stick to a consistent sleep schedule.
🌓 Limit exposure to bright screens before bed.
⏳ Give yourself time to rest and recover fully.

Your brain's health is worth it.

If you're a recovering athlete, how have you improved your sleep during recovery? Share your experiences in the comments!

10/09/2025

Anxiety in performance isn’t a bad thing. It’s simply part of the package. What separates good athletes from great ones is the ability to reappraise that anxiety as excitement.

In lab studies, participants who were taught to reinterpret arousal as “excitement” (rather than “anxiety”) showed better cardiovascular responses (i.e. challenge rather than threat) and better performance under pressure.

In sport settings, reframing one’s interpretation of anxiety to something more constructive helps athletes reduce emotional blocks and maintain focus.

Emotion regulation strategies similar to the strategies above are linked to more helpful emotions (e.g. excitement, confidence) and fewer maladaptive responses (e.g. excessive worry or suppression) in athletes.

So: the butterflies in your chest aren't a signal of breakdown. It's just energy. Teach yourself to name it as excitement. Then, use that energy to sharpen your focus, revisit your intentions, and perform from a place of challenge, not threat.

10/07/2025

Athlete burnout isn't failure. It's a chance to recalibrate.

In a world filled with high expectations and continued training, nearing the end of the season can feel like you're hitting a wall of exhaustion.

The truth? It's about so much more than that.

The common assumption around athletic burnout often perpetuates a narrative of poor self-discipline, overlooking the complex (and personal) journey we each may face.

Burnout is deeply intertwined with mental and physical demands, creating an emotional rollercoaster for those on the athletic journey.

We’re long overdue for a time to redefine our approach, to acknowledge that the journey is unique for each athlete.

Recognize the signs: fatigue, lack of motivation, cynicism, and emotional drain.

Use this time to reconnect with your passion, set new goals, and find joy in the process.

Let's shift the conversation, break the stigma, and create a space of resilience and renewal.

Comment ❤️ if you agree!

10/05/2025

Trust your training — the mental skills you practice when training become the tools you’ll actually use under pressure.

● Mental skills reliably support performance when applied consistently.
Mindfulness and present-moment attention strengthen concentration and reduce distraction, making it easier to execute in the moment.
● Make process goals (the next action, cue, or technique) your compass — process-focused practice produces larger performance gains than outcome-only goals.
● Practicing anxiety-management and coping strategies increases coping self-efficacy and lowers pre-competition anxiety, so when pressure rises you’re more likely to deliver on your plan.

You’ve already done the work — on race/competition day, rely on the routines and mental habits you built in training.

What is your favorite mental skill that has helped you with training and competition? Drop it below!

10/03/2025

A common mistake endurance athletes make is ignoring the significance of rest days.

These aren't just days to laze around. They are crucial for injury prevention!

Rest days allow your body the necessary time to repair and strengthen itself between workouts.

The harder you train without rest, the more stress you place on your muscles, joints, and bones, increasing the likelihood of injuries.

If you're not doing it already, be sure to include regular rest days in your training schedule. This simple act can drastically reduce your injury risk, enhance your overall performance, and promote long-term engagement with your sport.

10/01/2025

Even the strongest athletes can struggle silently. Research shows that in many sport cultures, toughness becomes a barrier to help-seeking. Many athletes report fear of being perceived as weak, of losing status, or losing selection if they admit to mental health difficulties.

Here's what the research says:

● Only about 22% of athletes seek formal help for mental health issues, even though prevalence of distress is comparable to non-athlete populations.
● The biggest roadblocks are stigma, low mental health literacy, and fears tied to identity (“I’m an athlete, I should be able to handle this”).
● Athletes are more likely to seek help when they have trusted relationships (coaches, teammates, provider), visible role models, clarity about confidentiality, and environments where psychological safety is prioritized.

TLDR : the same dedication you bring to mastering your body — fueling, conditioning, practice — deserves the same seriousness for your mind. Finding support, talking it out, using mental health tools is another form of training. As the sport culture shifts to recognize this, everyone wins, and we can find what we're actually working toward: performance, resilience, longevity.

09/29/2025

A tough crash or injury can do more than put you on the sidelines physically. The mental challenges that follow can feel just as tough—but with the right approach, recovery is absolutely possible.

Here are 9 steps to regaining your confidence as an athlete after a crash or injury:

1️⃣ Acknowledge your feelings: Feeling scared, anxious, or hesitant? That’s completely normal. Recognizing these emotions is the first step.
2️⃣ Revisit the event without judgment: Write down what happened, sticking to the facts. Reading it aloud can gradually reduce its emotional intensity.
3️⃣ Take it step by step: Gradual exposure to fears is key. Start small, whether it’s running a short distance or passing the crash site.
4️⃣ Practice relaxation daily: Try deep breathing or targeted muscle relaxation to calm your body and mind.
5️⃣ Develop constructive self-talk: Swap “I can’t do this” for “I’m making progress.” Small phrases can make a big difference.
6️⃣ Celebrate progress: Every small win matters. Acknowledge each milestone, no matter how small.
7️⃣ Lean on support: Share your thoughts with a coach, therapist, or trusted loved one. Talking helps more than you think.
8️⃣ Stay consistent: Success comes with steady effort. Build these habits into your daily routine for long-term growth.
9️⃣ Think long-term: These steps are about building resilience—not just bouncing back. Approach recovery as a process, not a quick fix.

🌟 Most crash survivors feel anxious about certain activities afterward, but these steps can help reduce that anxiety over time.

Which of these steps resonates with you? Or, if you’ve been through this, what helped you the most? Share in the comments or tag someone who’d find this helpful! ⬇️

09/28/2025

If you care about the growth, fairness, and integrity of cycling, USA Cycling’s new transgender ban raises big questions.

As a sport psychologist, researcher, and former elite racer, it’s important for me to note that my work and stances are informed by both evidence and experience in athlete well-being (not just personal opinions). So here goes:

The landscape of cycling is changing—and so are the rules that shape who gets a place in the peleton. Following USA Cycling’s recent policy change, it’s time to unpack why the new USA Cycling policy is not just unfair to transgender girls and women, but problematic for all girls and women in our beloved sport.

In short, the new policy stands in sharp contrast to the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) 2021 Framework on Fairness, Inclusion and Non-Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity and S*x Variations. The IOC Framework was informed by a team of athletes, human rights, scientific, medical, and legal experts. It was designed to help organizations (like USA Cycling) navigate the complexities of this issue in a balanced, sport-specific, and rights-respecting manner.

Rather than creating a blanket ban on specific groups of people at all levels of sport, the IOC Framework recommends policies that respond to the unique demands of each sport, grounded in robust, peer-reviewed scientific evidence and mindful of every athlete’s right to participate. By choosing not to follow the IOC’s framework, USA Cycling’s policy not only sidelines science but risks undermining core sporting values.

We must ask: what does it mean to protect the women’s category if in doing so we exclude those for whom sport is a lifeline against exclusion elsewhere in life?

Meaningful fairness cannot exist without meaningful inclusion.

I urge USA Cycling to take a moment (well, several moments) to reflect about our future as a community and to re-examine the new policy. The IOC Framework provides a solid path forward—one rooted in nuanced, evidence-based decisions made in partnership with stakeholders and subject to ongoing review as science evolves.

Skadi Sport Psychology

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