Dealing with Sports Anxiety

Sports anxiety, also referred to as athlete performance anxiety, is an overwhelming feeling of worry and concern experienced by an athlete leading into, surrounding, and/or during competitive events. It is generally related to fear of failure to live up to both real and perceived expectations of league/organization management, coaches, teammates, fans, loved ones, and/or oneself. Given that elite athletes land in the category of personality types that are more prone to anxiety disorders than the average person, it may come as no surprise to find that sports anxiety can impact anywhere between 30 percent to 60 percent of this particular population segment.

Those in search of help in dealing with sports anxiety experience some combination of physical and psychological signs of the phenomenon, which we breakdown below.

Physical signs and symptoms of sports anxiety:

Increased heart rate and rapid breathing	Increased or decreased appetite
Trembling, shaking, and/or dizziness	Muscle aches and tension (view more)
Compromised gut health	Stress induced suppress salivary flow resulting in Xerostomia (aka dry mouth)
Fatigue and weakness	Insomnia
Excessive sweating	Chronic headaches and migraines

Mental and emotional signs and symptoms of sports anxiety:

To avoid experiencing signs and symptoms, compromised student, amateur, or professional athletes may alter behavior to their own detriment. They may avoid participating in practice, critical parts of a competition, or opt out playing/competing entirely. In leaving an activity they were once passionate about they may also withdraw from those who care about them and live a life of isolation and despair.

As someone who struggles with any of the above, you recognize that you need help in dealing with sports anxiety and have come online for answers. Below is a succinct overview of how to move forward in a healthy manner that can help reignite the pure love of sport that once drove you to succeed as an athlete and an individual. Please keep reading.

What to Do (and not to do) to Deal with Sports Anxiety as an Elite Athlete

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I. UNHEALTHY WAYS TO DEAL WITH ANXIETY

Before we discuss productive ways to manage your feelings, we must first address unhealthy coping mechanisms that many in your position may use to deal with sports anxiety. By recognizing what these are, along with the vulnerabilities associated with each, you are enabled to take steps to mitigate the potential for participation to become harmfully habitual and compulsive.

Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms for Dealing with Sports Anxiety

Binge Eating:

Some individuals turn to highly palatable foods that release “feel-good” chemicals such as dopamine and serotonin to cope with difficult feelings. Those who binge eat are more likely to have other mental health problems, such as depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and anxiety. Research confirms that competitive athletes are predisposed to binge eating (and other eating disorders). One recent examination of more than 3500 male and female competitive athletes found that 74% of them reported binge eating.

Gambling:

Despite there being a widespread ban on gambling (namely sports betting) among student, amateur, and professional athletes, many participate as a means to cope with challenging feelings. As with the activities addressed above and below, the activity produces the same dopamine rush. A recent statistical analysis conducted by the NCAA (view here) confirms findings from numerous past studies regarding athlete vulnerability to problematic gambling behavior.

Sex:

While there’s no definitive evidence suggesting sex addiction is more common among athletes than the general population, high-profile cases of athletes (such as Jaylon Johnson, Lamar Odom, Tiger Woods) who have faced issues related to compulsive sexual behavior have called for more research on the matter. Even if it’s a matter of having more access to sexual partners by being in a position of admiration and prestige, it is not illogical to suggest that dopamine, oxytocin, endorphins, prolactin, and serotonin released during sex are not motivators to cope with competition-related anxiety.

Pornography:

As with sex addiction, more research needs to be done to draw conclusions between sports anxiety and compulsive use of pornography. That being said, there is evidence to suggest that athletes may also have a more problematic relationship with pornography when compared to the general population. Read more about the relationship right here.

Gaming:

Video gaming can be a healthy entertainment outlet for athletes. In fact, certain video games can enhance sports performance by improving hand-eye coordination, reaction time, and decision-making skills. However, when an athlete struggles with anxiety, and gaming is used as a means to cope with negative feelings, the potential for developing a problematic relationship grows. Read more on the connection between athletes and unhealthy gaming.

II. HEALTHY WAYS TO DEAL W/ SPORTS ANXIETY

With problematic coping mechanisms out of the way we can now get to the answer that brought you to us in the first place.

Being Mindful of Triggers

In the context of sports anxiety, a trigger is an event, situation, or stimulus that can evoke a strong emotional or psychological (and negative) response in an athlete. Pressure to perform is a large and overarching trigger, which you are likely well aware of. It’s the more specific triggers that you need to increase mindfulness of. Some are fairly blatant and a part of the “game”, such as jeers from an opposing team’s fans. Others may be less obvious and may even seem unreasonable to those who are not sensitive to what you’re experiencing. In either case, there is great benefit to be had by recognizing triggers in all of their forms. It leads the way to the initiation of healthy coping techniques (below) or outright avoidance (when reasonable to do so).

Common triggers to feelings of sports anxiety include the following:

• Vocalizations or other inferences by team managers, owners, teammates, friends, or even loved ones regarding expectations of you for an upcoming game/event.
• Prodding and ridicule from opposition.
• Prodding and ridicule from opposing fans.
• Cheers from your own (or your team’s) fans.
• Referee calls and whistles.
• Other arena/stadium sights (flashing lights, etc.) and sounds (horns, warmup music, etc.) that accompany a game or event.
• Field or facility smells, particularly those associated with negative competitive experiences from the past.
• Pregame/event questions from the media.
• Exposure to social media content discussing your (or your team’s) past, current, and future performances.
• Other (mindfulness will help you identify what else may set-off your feelings of anxiety).

Meditation

Meditation can significantly reduce sports anxiety by promoting a sense of calm, improving self-awareness, and enhancing the ability to manage thoughts and emotions when triggers (above) attempt to disrupt emotional regulation and control.

There are numerous types and names ascribed to techniques of meditation for you to explore. More common ones employed by athletes include mindfulness meditation, body-scan meditation, movement meditation, guided meditation, walking meditation, and visualization meditation. While you can perform an online search for more information on each, mindfulness-based cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) combines cognitive therapy techniques with mindfulness practices like meditation to help athletes become more aware of their thoughts and feelings. But before we get to the importance of a counselor trained in CBT, let’s first touch on the connected (to meditation) deep breathing exercises detailed below.

Deep Breathing

Slow diaphragmatic breathing is a calming exercise used in CBT that will help treat sports anxiety. While a professional trained in CBT will help you perfect the technique, you are encouraged to practice the following so that you’re ready to respond to triggers:

• Sit or lie-down in a comfortable space and close your eyes.
• Place one hand on your chest and the other hand on your abdomen.
• Inhale through your nose for approximately 4-seconds as you feel your abdomen expand.
• Hold your breath for 2-seconds, then exhale slowly and steadily through your mouth for about 6-seconds.
• Repeat the process from anywhere between 5 and 15 minutes. Your mind and body will let you know when you have calmed down sufficiently to move on to the next step.

Counseling

Mindfulness of triggers along with meditation and deep breathing techniques are all highly effective ways to deal with sports anxiety. However, to achieve optimal states and results, professional counseling is highly recommended for athletes.

Furthermore, athletes are known to be more vulnerable to other mental health concerns such as stress, depression, and ADHD in addition to the above mentioned behavioral health issues and process addictions (problem gambling, unhealthy gaming, problem porn use, etc.). Given that they often cooccur with anxiety, shared signs and symptoms may be aggravated further. Only a professional and qualified counselor can adequately assess, identify, and prescribe/initiate customized treatment strategy that will break the chain of sports anxiety and comorbid concerns. Athlete-specific counseling will also help with emerging new threats, including anxiety induced by abuse and harassment not just from angry fans but disgruntled sports bettors.

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You don’t have to face sports anxiety on your own. Kindbridge specializes in helping student, amateur, and professional athletes manage feelings of anxiety and a wide number of related mental and behavioral health concerns. Reach out to a care coordinator right now to schedule a FREE assessment and to book your first session.

Get Help for Sports Anxiety

CALL +1 (877) 426-4258

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Email help@kindbridge.com

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Kindbridge also works with athletic leagues and organizations. If your search for assistance in how to deal with sports anxiety and other mental health concerns requires intervention on a larger scale, you can learn more here or connect to our management team by clicking/tapping the image below.