Interviews:
Interview with Bryan Chan on RTHK’s Teen Time. Discussion around new years resolutions, and why it can be so hard to form and keep habits. Insight into some strategies to destroy your bad habits and develop more useful ones.
Interview with Bryan Chan on RTHK’s Teen Time. Introduction to the field of performance psychology and how it can apply to elite athletes as well as everyday individuals.
As featured in:
“To support our players in doing
that, we have employed the services of sport psychologist, Hiren Khemlani and his company Peak of Mind. Initially Hiren gave a presentation to our Football Committee and impressed with his mental perspectives, to give our players an additional edge.”
“Men are less likely to report mental health than women, but suicide for men is double that of women,” said Hiren Khemlani, a performance psychologist and corporate wellness trainer. “There is a problem there – men aren’t getting the treatment they need.”
Men tend to be less informed about mental health than women, Khemlani said. Gender stereotypes also play a role, with men traditionally seen as being stoic in facing adversity and not needing anyone’s help. In a society that frowns on men who show signs of vulnerability, that tends to play out as irritability, aggression, or an escape into alcohol or drugs.
“Perhaps more importantly, stress impacts your physical and mental health, which can subsequently affect your performance (Colligan & Higgins, 2006). After all, you’re not going to do your best work when you’re struggling with headaches, sleeplessness, and battling issues such as anxiety and depression all due to chronic stress.”
Excerpt from: Identifying and Managing the Impact of Stress on Performance – Hiren Khemlani
These disruptions have consequences for athletes at the apex of highly competitive sports, say experts. “Athletes utilize preparation routines to improve their technical and tactical skills, and this provides them with the opportunity to develop their mental skills by practicing things like mental imagery and relaxation techniques,” says Hiren Khemlani, a performance psychologist and director of Peak of Mind, a sports psychology firm based in Hong Kong. “Disruptions to routine — for example through cancelled training sessions — deny athletes the opportunity to develop these skills in a less pressurized environment, and can subsequently influence confidence levels.”
“There is an intrinsic nature to why people engage in sport, and it is through promoting these motives that sport has the potential to play a massive role in contributing to peace and development in society.”
Excerpt From: Sports: Play to improve, not to prove – Hiren Khemlani