How Professional Athletes Manage Stress Better
Stress in professional and amateur sports: how athletes cope with negative manifestations. Causes of stress and how to deal with it from coaches.
The word “stress” is damaging in many areas. But a strictly negative definition in the USA track and field is not always true. Professional and amateur track and field disciplines would not exist without daily stress. According to psychologists, stress is one of the most vital engines of sports activity. At the same time, it is essential to remember that the stressful excitement before the competition can push you to reach new heights. But it is better to remove stress from the daily life of an athlete.
Stress affects not only mental health but also physical health. Problems with other organs can be caused by fatigue and nervous tension. The USA track and field statistics show that between 5% and 30% of fatigue breaks are recorded from the total number of athletes.
Many factors can cause stress in athletics. When a runner switches teams or coaches, he will be in a state of stress for a while as he adapts to the new situation. An adverse reaction in the body can cause a loss, training failure, and family issues. Athletes need to know how to handle stress. If it is not removed from the life of an athlete in time over time, it can provoke severe problems in a sports career.
TOP tips from psychologists to deal with stress
Basic activities of stress management are included in coaching. They are aimed at internal work with their thoughts and the proper organization of leisure time outside competitive time.
Setting feasible goals
Athletes’ stress is often associated with setting too big and global goals. Breaking such purposes into several small and easily achievable ones is advisable. For example, a runner could split the goal of “Winning the upcoming championship” into multiple subgoals. The first one could very well be “Get to the boarding gate.”
Visualization
Visualization helps to minimize stress and become more self-confident. It is essential to imagine what exactly you are striving for. For a running sport, this can be overcome in a track in the minimum time; for throwers – new distance records.
Proper organization of leisure
Relaxation is critical for athletes. You should both relax before the competition and relax afterwards. Proper rest will help not only relax the muscles. The situation is better assessed with a clear head, and correct and balanced decisions are made.
Sleep is the simplest method of rest. An athlete should rest in complete darkness without using gadgets and electronics. The ideal temperature for sleeping indoors is between 18 and 20 degrees Celsius. Good sleep should last at least 7-8 hours. This way, the body will completely relax and enter the recovery stage.
What are the ways to deal with stress in sports? Use distractions. An unusual way is gambling. Now online casinos offer its visitors a lot of entertainment. In addition to classic slots, you can bet on sports and launch games with live dealers (roulette, blackjack, poker). Video slots in such casinos are presented in a large assortment. You can always pick up something on the theme of athletics.
A complete change of direction is an excellent way to deal with stress. Many athletes believe that the best thing to do before a competition is non-stop training. This approach will lead to wear and tear on the body. There will be no physical strength to achieve new results in the competition. If an athlete cannot imagine life without sports, he can always choose athletics-themed slots at the casino.
According to this site, gambling platforms provide an opportunity not only to relax and clear your mind, but also to earn money if you are lucky. And this gives additional positive thoughts and self-confidence. An online casino is also characterized by several advantages for customers. Such sites support instant withdrawal methods, allow you to run demo games without risk, and have many exciting bonuses.
Conducting an internal dialogue
The athlete should always positively conduct the internal dialogue with himself. Instead of thinking, “The opponent will do better than me,” it is better to switch thoughts to “I deserve this,” or “I should be here.” Negative self-talk increases stress levels. With this approach, track and field running events will end in third or fourth place.
Discus thrower Daniel Ståhl became famous around the world for cheering himself up. He says a second before the throw, “I am a Swedish Viking.”
Professional athletes in track and field running events also advise not to ignore your mental health to achieve victories. If you go through the recovery process, you can enter the competition. Stress can have a devastating effect on the human body, making it more difficult to break new records.
Why Professional Athletes Get Stressed
Athletes’ stress can come on for several reasons. Professional runners, discus throwers, jumpers, and all-around and cross-country participants can usually handle more load than ordinary people. But, of course, some obstacles can also be stressful for them. There are some reasons that are obvious:
- The constant pressure from the coach, his family, and himself;
- Playing sports against the background of other things – work, study, etc. As a result, there is simply not enough time for complete relaxation;
- Lack of sleep. The average sleep duration of a track and field event athlete is 6 hours 15 minutes. The lack of rest leads to the fact that the athlete already comes to training and competition overloaded.
The right approach to an athlete’s lifestyle can help reduce stress on his body. It is essential to alternate training with various entertainment and relaxation. A good rest even includes an Olympic track and field schedule. Although psychologists call stress the main driver of the competitive process, minimizing its manifestation outside the competitive periods is better.
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