216. Mental Traps Dancers Fall Into and How to Break Free

[00:00:00] Hi dancers. Welcome back to Passion for Dance. I'm your host, Dr. Chelsea, and my mission is to create happier, more successful dancers through positive mental skills. And today we're getting real about something that holds a lot of dancers back. Not a lack of talent or hard work, but the mental traps we all fall into.

You might know what I mean. It's that voice in your head that says, oh, she's better than me, or, I'll never be confident enough to try that. Or I'm never in front, my teacher doesn't like me. Those negative mindset traps that hold you back from showing up, going full out and reaching your personal best.

But the good news is, even though we all fall into some traps now, and then we can learn how to recognize them and more importantly, how to climb out of them. Because confidence, growth, and joy as a dancer don't come from being perfect. It comes from shifting how you think.

So today I wanna talk through four common mental traps, dancers, experience, comparison, waiting for confidence, outcome goals, [00:01:00] and letting injury become your identity. And for each one, of course, I'll share a mental skills tool that you can use to shift your mindset and take your control back. So let's get into it.

Welcome to Passion for Dance. I'm Dr. Chelsea, a former professional dancer, turn sport psychologist, and this podcast is for everyone in the dance industry who want to learn actionable strategies and new mindsets to build happier, more successful dancers. I know what it feels like to push through the pain, take on all the criticism, and do whatever it takes to make sure the show will go on.

But I also know that we understand more about mental health and resilience than ever before, and it's time to change the industry for the better. This podcast is for all of us to connect, learn, and share our passion for dance with the world.

Mental trap number one is the comparison trap. So let's start with the one.

I know that every dancer experiences at some point comparison. You're watching another dancer warm up a [00:02:00] competition and thinking, why don't I look like that? Or, their tricks are so much better than what I have in my choreography, and suddenly your own progress feels invisible. It's like you forget about all the hard work you already put into it, and you only see the things you struggle with.

Your own talents and strengths get lost in the trap of comparison. And comparison is sneaky because it feels like it's the truth. You believe those thoughts. But here's the thing, you can't believe everything you think. And what's worse is when you compare, you're focused on things you can't control. You're focused on other people.

So what's the mental shift? You intentionally focus on your progress and everything in your control. So the mental skill for this first trap is journaling for control and small wins. Here's what I want you to try. You write down three things you can control today. Maybe it's your effort, your focus during warmup, your attitude when you walk in the room, or how you give yourself a few minutes to [00:03:00] review choreography in order to prep for class.

Then write down one personal win, big or small for today. Maybe you finally nailed that trick you've been working on. Maybe you spoke up when you needed help, or maybe you didn't give up on a progression and instead you went full out all the way across the floor. This kind of journaling helps retrain your brain to focus on what you were doing well and stop worrying about other people, because real confidence starts with noticing your own progress, not worrying about other people.

So don't let the comparison track, take, hold journal to focus on what's in your control and to notice the small wins every day.

Mental trap Number two is waiting for confidence. This second mental trap is so common, especially with things like auditions, solos, or even speaking up when you're supposed to be the leader.

You might think once I'm more confident, then I'll go for it. Actually that's backwards. Confidence doesn't show up before the big moment. Confidence is built through it. [00:04:00] What you need first is courage, not confidence. You have to take one small action to move towards the dancer you want to be before you can feel the confidence you're hoping for.

So the mental skill to get out of this trap is action first, confidence later. So here's your challenge with this one. Do one small thing this week that's outside your comfort zone. Raise your hand to go first. Ask for feedback. Stand in the front of the room. Anything that makes you a little uncomfortable, go for it.

And remember this mantra, I don't need to be confident in order to try. I just need to be brave for 10 seconds. Because every brave moment builds trust in yourself. And that's where confidence comes from.

And if this mental trap is resonating for you, you know, you sit back and wait to feel more confident. I have something tangible you can use for yourself, so you can grab my competition confidence checklist. It's totally free. It walks answers through key journal questions and things you can do and think about to [00:05:00] help prepare for competition in order to build your confidence.

You can get it at chelseapierotti.com/checklist, or it's linked below in the show notes.

You can always find it on the website for this episode as well, passion for dance podcast.com/216. But what matters here is focusing on taking on a challenge, a small thing that gets you out of your comfort zone and being brave for those few seconds. You're building confidence by doing the hard thing and not waiting until you feel a hundred percent ready.

Mental trap number three is outcome only goals. This third mental trap is tough because most of us want competitive success or to be chosen for the team or the company. We wanna win. We want to place higher than before. We wanna get the solo or be chosen for our dream school. And those outcome goals are okay, have the big dream, but if your only goal is that outcome, you're setting yourself up for stress and disappointment.

Why? Because outcomes are [00:06:00] usually out of your control. Instead, use the mental skill of focusing on the process. For this mental skill you can try the specific goal setting process called the GWHOP goals. It's a silly acronym. It's G-W-H-O-P. It's a goal setting tool. I teach in my workshops and GWHOP stands for goal, why, how, Obstacle, Plan. I go into detail on this one in episode 1 61, but here's the short version. You set a goal focused on how you want to get better, something you can measure and track your progress. Then you write down why it matters to you, and a clear plan for how you will integrate it into your schedule. Make it real. And then you think about any obstacle that will get in the way. Your plan to overcome it because goals will have setbacks. But if it's connected to your why and you have a plan, when the challenge does show up, you're much more likely to achieve the results you want.

So say for example, your outcome goal is [00:07:00] to score in the top 10 at competition with your solo. Instead of just that goal, you create a process of how you're gonna get there. Maybe the goal is to run your solo three times a week with intentional corrections. You write down why that matters to you, why it's important to make sure it gets into your schedule, why you stay late to run it, even if no one is around to watch. The how part of this method would be maybe you decide to run your solo after X class on Monday and X class on Wednesday. When you feel you've got space and time. The obstacle might be your energy or studio space. So you make a plan to handle those challenges. Then when you have consistently stuck to that goal for a month, you will feel the confidence boost that comes from the action, and your solo will be much stronger .Rather than what happens with an outcome only goal of make top 10, your behaviors and how you train don't really change much before the next competition, so there's not a big chance of things being any different. [00:08:00] Making the competitive outcome is more likely to happen and be within your reach if you've set this process goal instead. That's how you stay motivated and grounded.

Okay. The fourth mental trap is when injury becomes your identity. Finally, if you've ever been injured, you know how hard this one might hit home. When you're physically healed from an injury, but not yet dancing the way you want, it's easy to feel like you're not even a real dancer anymore, like you're falling behind or you're broken.

But please listen. You are not your injury. In fact, you can grow through injury in ways that make you a stronger dancer and person. When you identify as a dancer with hip pain or someone with a strained hamstring, that's always tight. That identity takes over. It's who you are all the time in every situation. That can hold you back. So it's time to rewrite your dancer identity.

The mental skill with this is to do just that rewrite your dancer identity. Try [00:09:00] writing a new identity statement that includes this current season that you're in of recovery. Instead of I'm the injured one or I'm the one with the bad knee. You say, I'm a strong committed dancer who is growing in a new way during recovery.

And that might sound a little cheesy, but it truly works to see yourself in a different light of who you are as a dancer. You're not your injury, you are still that strong, committed dancer. It just looks different and you're growing in a new way. It helps you see this season of dealing with an injury as part of your dancer story, not the end of it.

It helps you notice the growth that can come from taking care of your injury. Notice the opportunities to learn other skills when you can't go full out, like maybe some leadership awareness or mindfulness, and you can notice the resilience you're building along the way.

Okay, dancer is with those four mental traps. I know that can be a lot, but I hope more than anything that if you felt that these mental traps have hurt you [00:10:00] before, you know you're not alone. We all fall into these traps now and then. Now you have the tools to climb out when they happen. Take action to gain your control back. Mentally tough and successful dancers aren't the dancers who never feel stuck in comparison or never feel doubt. We all do.

Mentally tough dancers are simply the dancers who know what traps to look out for and have a plan to get out of it. So here's a quick recap when you're feeling comparison, journal about what you can control and your personal wins. Feeling a lack of confidence or waiting until you feel more confident. Take action first. Just be brave for 10 seconds. Find yourself with outcome only goals. Try the GWHOP method of goal. Why? How obstacle plan, and then focus on the process. Or if you're struggling with an injury identity rewrite, how you define yourself with growth in mind.[00:11:00] 

Before we go, I have a small challenge for you this week. Pick just one of those mental traps that you know you've been stuck in and try that tool. Let me know how it goes. I would truly love to hear from you. You can send me a message on Instagram, leave a voicemail link in the show notes I read and listen to everyone.

And if you enjoyed this episode or found something helpful, please share it with a teammate or a fellow dancer who means a lot to you and might need a little mindset boost today. Until next time, remember, you are worthy, capable, and stronger than those mental traps might make you believe. Keep showing up and sharing your passion for dance with the world.

Thank you for listening to Passion for Dance. You can find all episode resources at passion for dance podcast.com and be sure to follow me on Instagram for more high performance tips at Doctor Chelsea dot Otti. That's P-I-E-R-O-T-T-I. This podcast is for passionate dancers and dance educators who are ready to change our industry by creating happier, more successful dancers.

I'm Dr. [00:12:00] Chelsea and keep sharing your passion for dance with the world.