Stress Management Flashcards
(47 cards)
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.
