Be Brave

If anxiety is halting your ambition, performance psychologist Dr Josephine Perry explains how the BRAVE process can help you silence any harmful inner voice and achieve your goals

- Dr Josephine Perry

The word ‘bravery’ tends to conjure up images of firefighters rushing into burning buildings, or other powerful symbols of going above and beyond for the benefit of others. But while those icons are compelling – who doesn’t want to be a hero? – there is another kind of bravery. It’s one we all need for both mental and physical health. It’s what you draw upon when you’ve set goals or ambitions that you deeply want to achieve, but have a loud inner critic in your head that tells you all the reasons why you can’t. It’s what’s known as ‘everyday bravery’.

You might want to lift heavier weights in the gym, or risk trying to set a new running PB, but feel frozen by the fear of what happens if you fail. Will others judge, laugh or pity you? What if you try really hard, invest time and effort into it and still don’t succeed? It is daunting, but learning how to handle these worries so you can develop everyday bravery can be incredibly freeing, as it reduces frustration and regret, and helps you not just in sport but any time fears pop up: giving a presentation or a speech, taking a test or going for an interview. The five-step process, based on a popular psychological approach, ‘acceptance and commitment therapy’, has been designed specifically for those aiming to perform at a high level in sport and, so you can’t forget it, it even spells out BRAVE.

Be aware