Rob Atkinson says studying the mind during a low point earlier in the season has helped put him in the best place mentally to succeed at Bristol City.
The central defender revealed he found his situation at the Robins tough back in December when he lost his place in the squad following the World Cup break. It coincided with the time Nigel Pearson highlighted a lack of trust in the central defender, favouring midfielder Andy King at the back.
Atkinson, 24, was left out of the squad with an apparent sickness bug for three matches but then returned as an unused substitute in the 0-0 draw at Watford and victory over Rotherham - the first game back following the three-week absence. He was then left out of the squad in the 2-1 loss at home to Stoke before an injury to King in the Boxing Day defeat against West Brom allowed him to regain his place in the starting line-up.
From then on, Atkinson's performances were consistently impressive as City switched to a back four, having developed a partnership alongside Zak Vyner. He became a mainstay in the side, starting the following 11 consecutive matches in all competitions before an ACL injury cruelly ended his campaign early in the 1-1 draw at Sunderland.
Speaking to former Bournemouth and Bristol Rovers player Joe Partington on the Leave No Doubt podcast, he speaks about the mental challenges he faced during that difficult period and how reading books on the mind helped overcome those issues. It's also worth noting that the podcast was recorded at the beginning of February, shortly before his unfortunate injury.
"I would say that my biggest improvement mentally has been recently and that's because after the last international break, I wasn't in the team and I was in a quite low state of mind. It was the World Cup break and I was away on holiday with my missus," he said.
"I was really struggling to come to grips with the situation. I was on holiday, supposed to be relaxed, and I just couldn't. I was reading and then I thought why can't I read something that will make me become a better football player?
"At that point, I decided to buy any mental books that could help me. They didn't have to be football related and a common theme from all of them was positivity and enjoyment so I think that was the biggest takeaway really. It's crucial that you enjoy what you do because when you enjoy what you do you do it well.
"If you can't deal with the lows you are really going to struggle. That's where positivity comes into it.
You have to be positive even when you've suffered a crippling loss. You have to be positive because you have to go again. You can't sob about it, you have to bring everyone up around you.
"Mentally now, I'm probably in one of the best places I've ever been and that comes down to me realising it's not just your physical ability or technical ability. I think the most ability is your mental ability.
"Up until very recently actually, I've been wondering about how to better myself. That's through studying the mind and mental strength and trying to be as mentally tough as I can."
Atkinson gave two examples of when he put theory into practice, including the FA Cup third-round game against Swansea. In the first leg, he gifted possession to his opponent, leaving Joel Piroe with the simplest of finishes at Ashton Gate.
He also cited Kal Naismith as an important factor in recovering from a mistake with the City defender at fault for a couple of goals earlier in the season when he lost the ball inside his own half.
"I've not really been one to chuck one in, as in give the ball away and they scored, but ever since I've read the book - Swansea at home in the FA Cup," Atkinson added. "I've given the ball away and it was probably the first time I've chucked one in and given a goal away. It was 100 per cent my fault and I think beforehand if I hadn't read these books, I would have crumbled but I put it to the back of my mind straight away.
"Kal Naismith has done similar things this season and the reactions to his mistakes have been world class. I've never seen anyone bounce back from a mistake like he has. Like nothing has happened. And I've taken inspiration from that.
"I used making that mistake, although not ideal, I used it as an opportunity to see how well I could bounce back, and for the rest of the game, I played pretty well. When I read I want to take something from the book and apply it and make sure I do apply it.
"Ultimately you just have to put it to the back of your mind because it's in the past. As soon as you've done it, you can't hop into a time machine and change it. You can't hop into a time machine and the next time you've got the ball you can't afford to be affected by what has happened.
"There's no point reading a book and thinking that's a nice book and putting it away. If you have to re-read it 100 times, re-read it 100 times to try and get something from it. I've been trying recently to enjoy training.
"For instance, the other day a decision doesn't go your way in a small-sided and I lose my head or I make a mistake in a small-sided and you'd lose your head and you'd let it affect you for the rest of the day. But I'm trying to train my mind to think it's happened, it's done so by the time I'm back in this building it's out my mind and I'm focussing on the next thing."
During an hour-long interview, covering his humble upbringing from his memorable time at Basingstoke and Eastleigh to his struggles in the Fulham academy, Atkinson also spoke about how he is motivated to see where his career will take him. When he signed for City in the summer of 2021, he had made the step up in leagues every year, going from non-league football to League One with Oxford and eventually to BS3.
He said: "I'm just excited to see where I can go really. If that's a Championship player for the rest of my career then that's it.
"But as long as I can tell myself at the end I've given it my all and done everything I can then I will be happy. But I'd love to progress and see how far I can go, whether that's to the Premier League with Bristol City hopefully. That's the main motivator, the excitement and not knowing where it can end."
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