Being involved in sports can have its ups and downs. And just as your child may experience streaks, there may be moments where the fall into slumps.
When our kid falls into a slump, we want to know how to help get them out of it as quickly as possible. It’s heartbreaking to watch our children struggle with failure and lack motivation. However, we need to recognize that pulling them out of a slump may take time and patience.
Here are some tips on how to help encourage your child if they are going through a slump:
Encourage them to talk about their feelings
If your kid is in a slump, they may be feeling angry, stressed, overwhelmed and a lack confidence. They get stuck in those feelings, and this is why they lose the desire to function. By encouraging them to talk about these feelings, they have a channel to release these negative emotions. Hopefully, the more they talk about it, the lighter they feel. And by acknowledging the slump, you’re taking the first positive steps to move beyond it.
Don’t pressure them
When kids throw tantrums, the best parental advice has always been to ignore it until it passes. However, when your child is in a slump, they’re going through something much deeper; they are in emotional distress. Now is not the time to ignore them. And it is certainly not the time to pressure them into “getting over it.” Forcing them to dismiss their emotions may only worsen the situation, and they may fall deeper into a slump, thinking that there is no one to support them.
Be patient and find the right time to get them to open up about their feelings. Failure can be frustrating, and it shouldn’t be approached lightly, especially as your child has taken it to heart.
Help them to focus on the positive
Falling into a slump means that there was a time when your child may have experienced outstanding performance, and now that they’re not, their confidence is suffering. This insecurity snowballs to the point that they feel sadness and a lack of motivation. By reminding of the better days, they realize that it’s not impossible for them to get there again.
Rather than teach them how to avoid failure, guide them through the process of setting healthy goals. By focusing on how to positively approach success, the fear of failure becomes secondary. Help them redefine the kind of experience they wish to have while participating in sports.
While winning can feel incredible, remind them of all the valuable lessons, skills, and friendships that they gain from playing sports regardless of whether they win or lose.