5- Arousal and anxiety PDF

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Arousal & Anxiety Definitions:  

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AROUSAL - refers to cognitive/physiological activation that takes place in response to some new input to the system. It involves preparing the body and mind for action ANXIETY - is a pleasant/unpleasant state or emotion caused by a perceived imbalance between demands and capabilities placed on a person, usually associated with high arousal. It can be viewed as facilitating or debilitating to performance SOMATIC ANXIETY - physical and physiological responses to the situation – usually experienced in advance of the competition/game. E.g., measures are increased heart rate: breathing rate: EEG: EMG: sweating COGNITIVE ANXIETY - is a mental response that either measures excitement or measures worry: loss of confidence/concentration

Types of fear in sport        

Fear= High anxiety that is deemed to be debilitating Fear- loss of emotional control/emotional exhaustion Failure- making mistakes/ mental overload Evaluation- social, peers, coach, media, country Injury- pain, sickness, lack of energy, reinjury Fitness- fatigue Environment- venue, conflicts, time constraints Unreadiness- unpreparedness, loss of direction

Step 1: Awareness 

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Understand constructs o May have to use athletes’ wording to help them understand o Make sure they know what it looks like (“this is what anxiety looks like when you swim”) Use self-regulation exercises o Know sources & triggers of anxiety o Know intensity levels o Appreciate anxiety symptoms  Butterflies, dry mouth, cannot sit still, etc. o Facilitate and debilitate performance  Which parts of anxiety help or hinder you? o What is the effect of your emotions Determine what is controllable o Cannot control environment or physiological responses. Change how you deal with them

Optimal level of arousal     

Scale of 1-10 (0= deep sleep; 10= panic/rage) After every game or practice, rate yourself Want outcome tied with training level May need to increase or decrease levels of arousal Need at least 3 competitions & 4-6 weeks of training

Symptoms of anxiety    

Physiological Cognitive Behavioural o Eg. Withdrawal Emotional o Eg. Crying

Perceptions- cognitive symptom Challenge

Threat

Confront/accept demands Determination/persistence Calculated risk Draw on sense of excitement Goal challenge Upbeat/optimistic Excessive control Celebrate accomplishments

Avoidance/withdrawal Discontinue/giving up Barriers too large Playing safe- playing not to lose Obsessed by fears Negative/pessimistic Out of control Relieved/wanting it over

Anxiety direction: Facilitative?    

Efficacy or confidence that one can achieve goals (exert control) during evaluative tasks Use anxiety as a cue to become more engaged and show persistence Bio chemical substrates are influenced by interpretation (harmful- cortisol, catecholamine; helpful- testosterone, epinephrine) To be facilitative, you have to accept anxiety as a natural and necessary reaction to competition

Step 2: Apply Techniques/strategies   

Are physical or mental strategies required Overactivated= relax Underactivated= energize

Optimal Arousal Levels IZOF- track emotions (athlete picks them- important… their own wording) 

Anxiety theory

Measuring anxiety  

REST-Q: measures recovery from stress/anxiety o If viewing stress as facilitative, you will have no recovery issues. Vice versa Mental readiness form o Can do immediately before a performance- doesn’t take long

Anxiety reduction 

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Overactivation o Causes o Symptoms  Look for these markers to see if over/underactivated o “try harder”  Get worse- have tension in body, no focus, fear, negativity  Leads to tense muscles- can lead to injury  Exercise we did with tensing our hands  We want free-flowing movement patterns with no tension  Tension=performance decrease Coping with adversity o Emotional or problem-based coping o o o

Under stress, how quickly can you solve a problem becomes an issue. If it can’t be solved quickly, emotional coping takes place. TIMING. Can I do it now? What we can do?  If problem is easily solved, first solve the problem.  If not, or outside of control, how do I deal with emotions? How do I control how I feel?

Good to teach 3 or 4 strategies. One strategy won’t work for every situation, so it’s good for them to have a few that they can choose from Techniques and strategies   

Physical approach Mind approach- calming the mind Effective, BUT it may not be effective unless it has been practiced in controlled environments (no distraction), then simulated environments (some distraction), and move into bigger competitions

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Muscle-to-mind o Breathing techniques  Very difficult to do properly unless trained  Athletes usually either breathe rapidly or hold their breath when under stress  Raise shoulders and breathe… good awareness piece for athletes  Upper chest, rib expansion, diaphragm  Breathing script… include important cue words that help you focus  Alternative breathing patterns  4-4 count: Breathe in for 4 seconds, hold for split second, breathe out for 4 seconds. Helps keep your mind busy and not thinking about stressful things o Progressive muscular relaxation (PMR)  Deep muscle relaxation  Tighten muscles 100% followed by 100% relaxation. Pay attention to what it’s like to be tense and then to be relaxed  Mind is busy with noticing the difference between the 2 states  PMR can conserve ATP in the muscle  If muscles are constantly tense, this uses energy. This energy is better spent during performance  Better to do before bed. Takes awhile to do and leads for a relaxing environment to sleep in  Steps:  Tension- 5-7 seconds per muscle group. Do this twice before moving on to a new group  Spend more time feeling relaxed than in the tense phase  Usually fall sleep by step 13  Muscle cramps, twitches, spasms are normal  Alterations  Biofeedback- mixed reviews o If their heart rate doesn’t reach the point they want, it can induce anxiety and they have to stop whatever they’re doing. It can hinder rather than help  Systematic desensitization o Pair anxiety-arousal event with a relaxation technique o Takes a long time. Have to have evidence that it works at the lower levels before you can apply it to the actual event that causes the anxiety  Preserves ATP (muscle energy source)  Difficulties  Awareness of muscle tension  Deal with responses

Sometimes clients are uncomfortable, angry, crying, don’t want to do it  Overactivation of sympathetic nervous system o Some people will feel like their heart rate is way too high or they need to get out o Some people are bad at relaxing  Relaxation can induce anxiety Passive PMR- not creating the tension, just the relaxation o

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 Mind-to-muscle o Mediation/relaxation response  Lower sympathetic nervous system  Close eyes to reduce visual stimuli  Mental device: proper breathing through nose along with repeated word on exhale  Passive attitude: learn to let your brain go. Let thoughts and images into your mind but don’t let them stay. Ignore them without knowing you’re ignoring them otherwise you’re paying attention to them o Imagery  Visualization  Imagine yourself on a beach… relaxed o Centering  Combines breathing, positive self-talk and focus  3 R-Method (different than the one used for grounding)  BEST FORM OF RELAXATION TO STOP COGNITIVE INTERFERENCE  Relaxation technique to control negative thinking  Relax- centered breathing technique  Regroup- positive self-talk process based statement  Refocus- what is relevant in this moment? What do I have to do? o Visual Motor Behavioural Rehearsal (VMBR)  Control mind… mostly by using imagery combined with a form of desensitization  Breathe to relax. When relaxed use imagery. Practice alone, to simulated situations of competitive situations  Use of video or modeling helps  Record them when they are stressed AND relaxed so they know what they look like. Helps in imagery o Autogenic training  Passive focus on limbs and muscles  Creating sensations of warmth and heaviness  Based on 6 stages  Heaviness  Warmth

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Heaviness & warmth Heart Solar plexus Cool forehead when coming out and move on with what you want to do. Helps you become alert  Kids have a harder time coming out of it. Can be dangerous  Can’t control sensations. Fight or flight takes over  Don’t use on kids under 6  Can help increase circulation… good for people who constantly have cold hands (Raynaud’s disease)  Very good for recovery from intense training loads Stress Inoculation Training (SIT)  Exposed to stressors and learn to cope with these in increasing amounts  Focuses on the emotions you feel during stress  3 stages  Identify and clarify anxiety- triggers, what are your negative mood states  Education on stress process o What it is, how it works, what’s involved  Coping behaviours o Relate to negative emotions felt when under stress o Get rid of negative response to anxiety  Do this in increments Cue words Mindfulness behaviour therapies  Helps you be in the now; in the moment  Pay attention to the moment while still being aware of your surroundings and being accepting of them  Willingness to keep uncomfortable thoughts in your mind and being comfortable having them there  Be in it and be okay that you’re in it  Create a more facilitative intent in mind  Intention- motivation to practice  Attention- what happens in the moment  Attitude- acceptance, openness

Anxiety inducing  

Underactivation Caused by

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Fatigue Overtraining Irregular lifestyle changes Jet lag

o Sleeping difficulties o Nutritional deficiencies o Illness or injury Symptoms How to energize o Music- as long as it gives you a positive state of mind o Task focus- instead of outcome o Inspirational breathing- increase breathing o Act energized- mind will follow o Mood words- generate positive energy o Energizing imagery- hurricane, storm, etc o Draw energy from the crowd- go with or against the crowd o Set a performance goal- provides some motivation, and leads to some energy

Conclusion 

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Matching hypothesis- if your problem is in the mind, use a technique that involves the mind. vice versa for muscle problems o Match anxiety problem with the correct technique Both mind and muscle will be affected by whatever strategy you use Use athlete’s terminology View anxiety as facilitative

Difficulties in teaching relaxation techniques  

Have to work up to it Voice, speed, recordings

Article Cons 

Hard to read

Pros 

I like how it tells us about what the psychologist did right and wrong throughout the session

Comments    

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I believe I’m the same way when it comes to being tense. I get a lot of headaches when I’m busier than normal or have a lot going on My Jr. high basketball coach did the breathing technique with us before big games Van Ry also used hypnosis to relax us I didn’t really think much of it before, but looking back it was a very useful thing. Of course I can’t recall how well it worked, but the fact that I’ve been exposed to these techniques is pretty cool Tried to be client-centred but ended up mostly directing when she wouldn’t give up much Tried to work off what client did in the past to help her and to build off that

TO DO: Olympians use imagery article PSTP reading

MIDTERM 13 MC/matching 9 short answer (2-4 marks) 1 case study (12 marks)...