Arousal/Anxiety Management Strategies

1. Arousal/Anxiety Management Strategies October 8, 2002

2. Levels of Optimal Arousal • Why are these so important? • Typical approaches • Problems with “psyching up”? • Milwaukee Brewers example • What kinds of strategies are appropriate?

3. Matching Hypothesis • Interventions matched to type of anxiety will be more effective • High somatic anxiety = techniques for reducing physiological tension, increase relaxation • High cognitive anxiety = ways to control negative thoughts and cognitions

4. Relaxation (Somatic) Techniques • Some athletes may have low levels of arousal--more uncommon • Problem with anxiety/stress spiral • Relaxation procedures to stop negative cycle • Progressive relaxation, autogenic training, meditation, biofeedback

5. Progressive Relaxation • Jacobson (1929, 1938) • Cannot be tense/anxiety if muscles are completely relaxed • Subjects lie on backs, arms to sides • Goal is to relax entire body in minutes • Practice is essential

6. Progressive Relaxation • Muscle must achieve tension before relaxing • Gain appreciation for difference between tension & relaxation • Eventually can relax without tensing the muscle • Jacobson’s protocol follows a specific order

7. Progressive Relaxation • Effective use requires lots of practice • Must be able to elicit in specific situations • Often used in association with other strategies to improve performance (e.g., imagery)

8. Autogenic Training • Similar to autohypnosis • Schultz (1959) hypnotized patients reported heaviness in limbs & warmth in body. • Autogenic training designed to create these two states • Limbs heavy due to lack of tension • Warmth from dilation of blood vessels

9. Autogenic Training • First step: six self-statements: • Heaviness in arms and legs • Warmth in arms and legs • Warmth in chest and perception of reduced heart rate • Calm and relaxed breathing • Warmth in solar plexus area • Sensation of coolness on the forehead

10. Autogenic Training • Second component: use of imagery • Visualize images of relaxing scenes; focus on warmth and heaviness • Third component: use of specific themes • Assists with bringing about relaxed states; use self-statements • “I feel quiet, my mind is at ease”

11. Meditation • Individual attempts to focus attention on one object, thought, sound, etc. • Placed in comfortable, quiet position • Commonly uses mantra • Unclear effects of meditation on athletic performance • Does reduce anxiety and tension

12. Biofeedback • Humans may voluntarily control functions of autonomic nervous system • Biofeedback uses instruments to help with control of ANS • Cardiovascular system, cerebral activity, muscular activity, skin temperature • Visual or auditory feedback from measures

13. Biofeedback • People with chronic anxiety or illness caused by anxiety may benefit • Indirectly learn to control anxiety/tension • Goal is to lower physiological measures without help from biofeedback equipment • Review of literature suggests that biofeedback is helpful in facilitating athletic performance (Zaichkowsky & Fuchs, 1988)

14. Problems with Arousal Control Strategies • Primarily arousal reducing strategies • Do not directly affect appraisal techniques • Various arousal levels are responsible for peak performances • Relationship among arousal, emotion, cognition, and performance is complex

15. Cognitive Techniques • Designed to modify appraisal processes--see situations as less threatening • Can learn skills to appraise situations as less threatening, change interpretation of the situation, abilities to manage the situation, and control response impulses • Cognitive restructuring and changing negative thoughts

16. Cognitive Restructuring • Psychotherapeutic technique, primarily for clinical populations • Rational Emotive Technique (Ellis, 1982); Athletes create anxiety or anger based on irrational thought patterns • Need for perfection, need for situations to be perfect, belief that others will always treat you fairly/respectfully, self-worth based on achievement

17. Cognitive Restructuring • Clinging to irrational beliefs may lead to dysfunctional emotions, lower sport satisfaction/lower performance • Three steps: • Irrational beliefs lead to distorted thinking, preventing athletes from controlling behavior • Distorted thoughts must be changed • Substitute functional thoughts for distorted ones

18. Changing Negative Thoughts • Generally classified as self-talk • Similar to cognitive restructuring • Does not assume that self-defeating thoughts are based on irrational beliefs • Techniques include replacing negative thoughts, reframing, self-instructional training

19. Changing Negative Thoughts • Key step is identification of negative thoughts • Development of positive statements to replace the negative ones • “This is too hard, I can’t do this” replaced by “I’ve learned hard skills before, I just need to work through it”

20. Changing Negative Thoughts • Thought stopping - increased awareness of negative thoughts • Self-instructional training - guides behavior in stressful situations (3,000m runner who is having fatigue-related pain in last 400m)

21. Limitations of Cognitive Interventions • Extensive research support of benefits • Cognitions are very fast • Occur almost automatically • Difficult to control • Requires extensive practice/application

22. Arousal Energizing Strategies (Psyching Up) • Under-arousal levels may be problematic as well • Playing against weaker opponent (NCAA tournament example) • Many athletes use inappropriate strategies for getting psyched • Learning to use the best strategy for each person is crucial

23. Arousal Energizing Strategies • Goal Setting • Pep Talks • Bulletin Boards • Publicity & News Coverage • Fan Support • Self-Activation • Coach, Athlete, and Parent Interaction