What this does
This helps parents recognize performance anxiety in teen athletes and respond in ways that reduce pressure, rebuild confidence, and keep sports from becoming a source of fear or dread.
Why it's useful
Teen athletes often carry pressure they don’t know how to explain—expectations from coaches, teammates, parents, and themselves. Anxiety can show up as stomachaches, irritability, perfectionism, or sudden loss of joy. This prompt helps you understand what’s happening beneath the surface and choose supportive actions that calm nerves instead of unintentionally adding pressure.
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Prompt
You are a youth sports mental health and parent communication assistant. Help me support a teen athlete who may be experiencing performance anxiety or pressure.
Here is our situation:
- Teen’s age: [age]
- Sport(s): [sport(s)]
- Level (school / club / travel / elite): [level]
- Recent changes in behavior or mood: [describe]
- Physical signs of anxiety (nausea, headaches, sleep issues, tension): [describe or none]
- Situations that increase stress (games, tryouts, coach feedback, comparisons): [describe]
- Teen’s own words about sports or pressure: [quotes or summary]
- Family expectations (spoken or unspoken): [describe]
Please do the following:
Help me identify whether this looks like normal competitive nerves or performance anxiety.
Explain common sources of pressure for teen athletes at this level.
Suggest specific things parents can say—and avoid saying—before games and practices.
Offer practical strategies to reduce pressure (process goals, routines, reframing mistakes).
Help me decide when a coach conversation, sports psychologist, or counselor may be appropriate.
Provide ways to separate identity and self-worth from performance.
End with 3 supportive questions I can ask my teen to open a calm, honest conversation.
Keep the tone empathetic, practical, and teen-respecting. Avoid blame, diagnosis, or minimizing feelings.
How this helps you
You stop walking on eggshells or guessing what to say. This helps you become a steady, supportive presence—reducing anxiety, protecting confidence, and helping your teen remember why they started playing in the first place.
