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Sport & Performance

Best practices on and off the playing field: Lessons from the Super Bowl

In this article, I discuss life lessons displayed by participants in the National Football League’s championship game. Like millions of football fans, each year I look forward to watching the championship game of the National Football League (NFL) known as the Super Bowl. I am particularly excited to watch this year’s game as it features the American Football Conference champion Kansas City Chiefs battling my favourite team—the National Football Conference champion San Francisco 49ers. My fondness for the 49ers grew when my younger brother and I travelled to the Bay Area to watch them play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in December, 2022. In addition to enjoying the game, as a psychologist I am fascinated by the life lessons which are displayed by the participants. In the following sections, I will discuss some of these...[more]

2024-02-10T21:30:53-07:00By |Categories: Psychology, Sport & Performance|
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Dr. Pat Featured in the Calgary Herald: Insights on Achieving Fitness Goals

Discover Dr. Pat Keelan's professional advice on achieving fitness goals in his recent Calgary Herald feature. Explore the article for key strategies and tips on embracing a healthier lifestyle in 2024. Click to read more

2024-01-11T17:29:33-07:00By |Categories: In the Media, Sport & Performance|
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Four simple rules: For building good habits and eliminating bad ones

In this article, I discuss how to form good habits and discard bad habits by applying four rules for changing behaviours. I recently read Atomic Habits: Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results by James Clear. As the title indicates, the book is focused on strategies to form good habits and eliminate bad habits. The cornerstone of these strategies are the four rules of behaviour change. Each of these rules provides directions on how to increase the frequency of behaviours which we want to become good habits and on how to decrease the frequency of behaviours which we do not want to adopt or continue as bad habits. In the following sections, I will discuss these rules and illustrate how they can be applied to habits of different kinds...[more]

2023-11-19T21:48:33-07:00By |Categories: Psychology, Sport & Performance|
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Physical self-focused coping: Relax your body to manage stress

In this article, I discuss why performing activities to relax your body is fundamental to managing stress. One of the most common issues clients for which clients seek help is how to manage stress. When I work with clients on this issue, I help them to implement a ‘game plan’ for managing stress which consists of a set of strategies. A key component of this game plan for managing stress is performing activities which relax the body to relieve the physical tension which comprises the stress response known as ‘fight or flight’. In the following sections, I will discuss the activities you can perform which accomplish this goal...[more]

2023-08-27T18:31:00-06:00By |Categories: Sport & Performance, Stress|
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How to attend to ‘not urgent but important’ tasks

In this article, I discuss steps you can take to address matters which are not urgent but important in your relationships, your mental health and your career. In my last article, I discussed why it is important to attend to tasks which are not urgent but important in your relationships, your mental health, and your career. I provided many examples of the positive effects of attending to these tasks and of the negative consequences of failing to attend to them. Given how important it is to attend to tasks which are not urgent but important, it is essential to know how to attend to them. In the following sections, I will discuss steps which you can take to do just that...[more]

2023-07-02T17:04:05-06:00By |Categories: Depression, Sport & Performance|
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Why being a supportive team member is important—and how to be one

In this article, I discuss how to be a supportive member of a team and how this benefits the team. Performing as a member of a team in sports or other activities has some similarities to performing as an individual as well as some unique elements. As with individual activities, as a team member you need to work hard in practice to help you contribute to team success in your position or role. However, as a team member you also need to contribute to team success by the way you interact with and respond to your teammates. Being a supportive teammate has been found to contribute to team success beyond the contribution made by the team member’s individual performance on the playing field or arena. In the following sections, I will discuss why being a supportive teammate contributes to team success and what steps you can take to be a supportive teammate...[more]

2023-06-04T18:52:39-06:00By |Categories: Relationships, Sport & Performance|
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How to deal with disappointment when your team does not win

In this article, I discuss various strategies you can use to manage disappointment and other emotions stemming from lack of success by a sports team which you support. I recently appeared on the Toronto radio show called The Naz and Wally Sports Hour. On the show, I discussed various strategies which supporters of the Toronto Maple Leafs hockey team could use to deal with the disappointment of yet another failed attempt by the Leafs to win a championship. In the following sections, I will focus on these strategies which you can use to deal with disappointment you experience from failures by teams which you support...[more]

2023-05-23T16:32:16-06:00By |Categories: Depression, Sport & Performance|
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Activity or circumstance goals: Which is better for your mood?

In this article, I discuss how pursuing two different types of goals can have different effects on your mood. In my last article, I discussed the psychological benefits of pursuing goals. These included providing meaning and purpose, boosting self-esteem, facilitating structure, improving time management, managing stress and fostering positive social relationships. It should be noted that the extent to which pursuing goals leads to psychological benefits depends on the type of goal which you are pursuing. In this article, I will discuss one example to illustrate this point—whether the goal you are pursuing involves a change in your circumstances or entails you performing an activity on an ongoing basis. In the following sections, I will delve into the differential psychological benefits of pursuing these two types of goals...[more]

2023-05-07T20:31:39-06:00By |Categories: Depression, Sport & Performance|
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The positive psychological effects of pursuing goals

In a touching scene from the film Rudy, the title character expresses appreciation to his best friend Pete who has given him a jacket from the University of Notre Dame. It is Rudy’s goal to play for their football team despite being objectively too small and untalented. “You’re the only one who ever took me serious, Pete”, Rudy says which is followed by Pete’s reply, “Well you know what my dad always said: Having dreams is what makes life tolerable”. Pete’s comment captures the essence of the psychological benefits of pursuing goals and dreams. In the following sections, I will discuss why pursuing goals is important to your emotional well-being as described by Dr. Sonja Lyubomirsky in The How of Happiness.

2023-04-11T12:38:02-06:00By |Categories: Sport & Performance, Stress|
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Want to increase your motivation to pursue goals? Target two factors which influence it

In this article, I discuss how to use desire to pursue a goal and confidence that you can succeed to provide the motivation necessary to achieve goals. In my last article, I indicated that there are two primary factors which fuel motivation to work toward a goal: (1) having the desire to achieve the goal because of anticipated rewards; and (2) having the confidence that you can succeed in achieving the goal. In this article, I will provide ideas on how to target both these factors so that you can be successful in pursuing goals...[more]

2023-03-26T19:12:22-06:00By |Categories: Psychology, Sport & Performance|
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