🔎Concept Overview

Mind Reading

It’s that special "superpower" where we convince ourselves we know exactly what others are thinking without any actual evidence.

Picture this:

Your kid misses a shot and immediately looks to the bench at their coach. They already know EXACTLY what they’re thinking, “Coach is going to bench me. Coach is going to be so mad that I messed up”.

Meanwhile, Coach is actually thinking about how that was a good play and your kid just needs a little more practice to get it right.

Mind reading is that sneaky little gremlin that has your athlete assuming:

• “Everyone thinks I’m terrible at this sport”
• “Coach only put me in because they had to”
• “My teammates blame me for the loss”

This trap is particularly devious because it creates a reality that doesn’t exist, then forces your athlete to respond emotionally to that fictional world.

Talk about playing defense against invisible opponents!

⚒️Action Items

Reframing & Seeking Feedback

If you hear these types of things from your athlete, try having them reframe their thoughts. This means getting them to perceive the situation in a different way.

Reframing questions can look like this:

• How might someone else see this situation differently?
• What emotion are you feeling right now?
• Did you ask them what their thoughts were?

Seeking feedback can squash those mind reading thoughts.

Instead of assuming the thoughts of someone, ask them what they are thinking.

For your athlete, have them go ask the coach what they thought of their game today.

Both negative and positive feedback are okay. They each have their place.

Asking for feedback gives you facts your athlete can work with to improve or disprove those negative mind reading thoughts.

📘Helpful Resources

Check out these Seeking Feedback worksheets for your athlete to fill out and have a hands-on learning experience. Parent Guide included.

This article does a great job explaining reframing with examples and questions you can use for your athlete

• ​https://habitcoach.com/resources/how-reframing-helps-kids-deal-with-their-emotions/​