Stress Management Flashcards
What is stress?
A negative response of the body to a threat causing anxiety.
What is eustress?
A positive response of the body to a threat.
E.g. skydiving
What does stress cause?
A negative response - apprehension and anxiety.
Inhibition.
What does eustress cause?
Makes you perform well - leads to facilitation
What are the types of effects of stress?
Cognitive
Somatic
What is meant by cognitive effects of stress?
These are psychological
What is meant by somatic effects of stress?
These are physiological
What is a stressor?
The cause of stress
What are some stressors?
Injury Playing an important match Playing against really good opponents Fear of failure Pressure of being watched Conflict or frustration Fatigue
What decides if it’s positive or negative stress?
Depends on how the performer perceives or views their ability to overcome the threat.
What’s an example of stress?
Before an important race, an athlete may experience the stressor of lining up against other top athletes.
Positive response - the runner believes they are training well and that they will be able to do well.
Negative response - doubt their ability and experience stress.
What are examples of cognitive stress?
Negative thoughts and feelings Irrational thinking Doubting ability Loss of concentration Attentional narrowing Worry
What are examples of somatic stress?
Increased heart rate Sweating Nausea Muscular tension Shaking Increase breathing rate
What are stress management techniques?
Methods used to reduce either cognitive or somatic effects.
What are cognitive stress management techniques?
Thought stopping Positive self talk Imagery Visualisation Mental rehearsal Attentional control/cue utilisation Psychological skills training
What is positive self talk?
When the performer replaces negative thoughts with positive ones.
What’s an example of positive self-talk?
A squash player who is struggling to retrieve an opponents shot may think ‘I can get the ball if I just move a little sooner and get on my toes’.
What else can positive self talk do?
Help the player focus on tactics or instructions
To overcome a weakness.
Evaluate positive self-talk
Can overcome a bad habit.
Can only be said out loud in certain sports.
Hard to replace those thoughts
What is thought stopping?
When negative and irrational thoughts occur, the performer uses a learned action or cue to remove them.
What’s an example of thought stopping?
The batter in cricket might prod the ground with the bat prior to the delivery of the bowler, to redirect attention to the pitch of the ball that they have previously found hard to pick up.
Evaluate thought stopping
The outcome depends on the learning of the link between the cueing action and the correct technique.
What is imagery?
It can recreate a successful image of the action from a past performance when the skill was performed successfully and the player can recall the feel of the actual movements in the mind.
What’s an example of imagery?
The netball shooter who has scored a goal to win a close match would imagine the satisfaction and elation associated with that winning shot and use those emotions to build confidence for the current situation.
Evaluate imagery
Not good previously
Difficult
What is visualisation?
Uses a mental image of the skill, an image perfected while performing the skill successfully in training.
The image is then locked in and relived when the skill is performed for real.
What’s an example of visualisation?
A player can visualise the perfect free throw in basketball.
What are the types of visualisation/imagery?
Internal
External
What is an external image?
When the player has an image that concentrates on the environment, almost as if the player is watching themselves on television.
What’s an internal image?
Looks at the emotions and feelings involved in the skill, such as the sense of kinaesthesis used to develop a feel of the movement or the satisfaction gained from completing the successful action.
Evaluate visualisation
Must know perfect performance
Some find it hard to block out distractions
What is mental rehearsal?
The process of going over the movements of a task in the mind before the action takes place.
What’s an example of mental rehearsal?
Seeing the sub-routines of a triple jump
Evaluate mental rehearsal
Must know perfect performance
Some find it hard to block distractions
Must be calm/quiet environment
Good for activities in set order
What is attentional control/cue utilisation?
Focusing on specific cues/the correct stimuli
Evaluate attentional control?
Lowers stress levels
Must be able to switch to attentional style - broad or narrow
What is psychological skills training?
The performer can train and practice using any of the methods explained as cognitive stress management techniques.
Evaluate psychological skills training
More successful and confident
Chance of negative transfer
What are somatic stress management techniques?
Biofeedback
Progressive muscle relaxation
Centring
What is biofeedback?
This technique uses a measuring device to help the athlete recognise the physical changes that will happen when under stress.
What types of measures at taken for biofeedback?
Heart rate
Galvanic skin response (sweating)
Electromyography
Evaluate biofeedback?
Time consuming Need to use device correctly Distractions Increase anxiety Very effective
What is progressive muscle relaxation?
A physical technique, often conducted with the use of recorded instructions, when the performer alternates between a state of tension in a group of muscles to state of relaxation in those same muscles.
These muscles are worked progressively from the periphery of the body to the core.
Evaluate progressive muscle relaxation
Can’t do it during a match
Possible injury if using wrong technique
What is centring?
A form of breathing control when, at opportune times, the sports performer can learn to relax the shoulders and chest while concentrating on the slow movement of the abdominal muscles when taking deep controlled breaths.
What’s an example of centring?
Before a penalty kick in rugby.
The first serve in tennis.
Evaluate centring
Need quiet
Can be done during break/before something
Play only
