Non-judgmental awareness.

[dbacon]

Instead of beating yourself up when you miss something, notice everything but do the alteration this way. My eye sees the eflat, but my ear hears an E natural. Just go back and alter the note. If you hear the notes going flat as you lip slur downwards (going flat to meet the next note. Same the other way, going sharp to meet up the next pitch), don't beat yourself up for not playing perfectly. Just be totally aware of the center of the pitch. Give yourself a chance to practice without getting on yourself. But practice improvments without guilt. Start seeing your playing the way it really is, not overly critically.

Make a list of all the stuff you do well. Really take the time to write up everything you can do well. Then make up a list of things you want to improve. So many times we work on stuff we can already do, and we stand still. To move ahead we need to find things we can't do, and work on them until we can. Therefore, practice the stuff on your second list. You'll get a kick out of playing something well that was a problem for you before!

[RGale]

Mr. Bacon, thank you; excellent advice. It echoes something Chris Leuba told me. "Practice like you would teach a student; don't bring emotional baggage into it, just correct the problem." This comes from the former solo horn of the CSO, and one who has had heart attacks and strokes too-( if you need proof that the job is stressful.)