Stress management Flashcards
Define stress
A perception of an inablilty to cope
OR
A state of mental or emotional strain
Identify causes of stress
- Pressure (personal/ parental/ coach)
- Importance of result/ winning
- Competition
- Crowd/ evaluation by others
- Belief you might get hurt
- Climate/ heat
- Conflict
- Frustration
- Fear of failure (2016)
Give somatic stress management methods
- Progressive muscular relaxation (PMR)
- Biofeedback
- Breathing control
- Centring technique
Explain PMR
- The body systematically tenses and then relaxes the muscles of the body
- This enables the performer to feel the process of relaxation
Explain biofeedback
The performer is able to focus on the somatic responses to stress e.g. breathing rate, heart rate. Once identified these can be controlled.
Explain breathing control
The performer uses deep,slow breathes to lower somatic arousal.
Explain the centring technique
Linked to mindfulness. The performer focuses on the somatic responses in the present moment.
Identify cognative stress management techniques
- Positive thinking/ self-talk
- Mental rehearsal
- Goal setting
- Rational thinking
- Negative thought stopping
- Imagery
- Mindfulness
Explain positive thinking/ self-talk
The performer thinks about attaining success/ winning rather than failure.
E.g. I can run a PB
Explain mental rehearsal
- The performer forms a picture of the whole skill in thier mind
- This allows the mental practice of sub-routines
F1 driver ‘driving’ the track in thier head
Explain rational thinking
The performer uses logic to counter negative thoughts
E.g. I have trained so hard i am capable of a PB
Explain negative thought stopping
The performer blocks out/ ignores thought of failure.
Explain imagery
The performer focusses on a single aspect related to the performance of the skill.
E.g. The sound of the start gun
Explain mindfulness
- The performer focuses on the present/ meditation
- Past failures and future concerns are ignored
Give disadvantages of cognative techniques:
- It cannot (always) be done when performing
- It doesn’t always account for somatic stress
- it takes time to practise and perfect
- Not all performers have the focus to achieve it
- Some performers may find the process stupid
