Mental Health IN Athletes

1. Mental Health IN Athletes By: Lauren and Hannah

2. STRESS:WHAT IS IT? • Stress affects both our minds and our bodies. • Stress is generally caused by situations affecting our lives. • Stress is our bodies way of responding to pressure. • A little bit of stress is okay, but too much stress can cause harm to both our mental and physical states.

3. STRESS: WHAT CAUSES IT? • The things causing us to be stressed are referred to as stressors. • Not everyone becomes stressed for the same reasons, everyone is different. • Stress is generally caused by external factors more so then internal • External stress factors are situations around us while internal stress factors are our personality traits. • Common external stress factors are: Major life changes , Work or school, Relationship difficulties, Financial problems , Being too busy and Children and family. • Common internal stress factors are: Chronic worry , Pessimism, Negative self-talk, Unrealistic expectations/Perfectionism, Rigid thinking, lack of flexibility and an All-or-nothing attitude.

4. STRESS IN ATHLETES • Athletes are constantly under pressure to perform. • Athletes often deal with stress better then non- athletes due to constant exposure. • Stress can help focus an athlete, but too much stress can affect the way that the athlete performs. • Too much stress can cause an athlete to feel emotionally and physically unable. • An athlete under minimal stress will out perform an athlete dealing with a lot of stress.

5. EFFECTS ON OUR BODIES • Stress can increases the risk of illness and injury. • The emotional side of stress can cause us to lose motivation and in some cases become clinically depressed. • Athletes tend to add pressure onto themselves and often times over train. • Training too much can add additional stress onto the body, which increases the risk of injury even further. • Stress can cause us to: Eat more or less, Sleep too much or too little, Isolate ourselves from others, Procrastinate or neglect responsibilities, Use alcohol, cigarettes, or drugs to relax, Have nervous habits (e.g. nail biting, pacing), Feel Aches and pains, Have bowel issues, Feel Nauseous or dizzy, Have Chest pains and/or rapid heartbeats, Have Frequent colds and Have increased muscle tension.

6. HOW TO MANAGE STRESS • No matter how much you try, there will always be some sort of stress in your life. • Developing coping techniques can help manage the amount of stress people have in their lives. • Effective techniques for dealing with stress are: relaxation, visualization/imagery, self talk and realistic goal setting. • Not all coping techniques work for everyone. • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHtWSW6OGyU&feature=player_detailpage • http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=o20RweDzCBY

7. 5 STAGES OF STRESS MODEL

8. EMOTIONAL AND AEROUSAL PERFORMACE

9. LONG TERM HEALTH AFFECTS • Chronic pain • Migraines • Ulcers • Heartburn • High Blood Pressure • Heart Disease • Diabetes • Asthma • Obesity • Infertility • Autoimmune Diseases • Skin Problems • Irritable bowel syndromes

10. ANXIETY:WHAT IS IT? • Anxiety is often caused by stress • Anxiety is when you are constantly in the state of worry or fear. • Mild anxiety is normal, but severe cases can have a big impact on peoples lives. • Anxiety can take control of the things people do on a daily basis and can affect their way of life both mentally and physically. • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPWFXZJ59Js&feature=player_embedded

11. ANXIETY:WHAT CAUSES IT? • Anxiety is the worlds most common Mental illness • It is generally caused by internal factors more so then external. • Factors such as being a perfectionist, living in the here and now and self doubt are all some of the personality aspects that cause high anxiety. • For anxiety to become a clinical concern the worries and fears must remain for long periods and interfere with everyday life functions. • Unlike stress anxiety is more of a mental health disorder.

12. ANXIETY IN ATHLETES • Anxiety can affect the way an athlete performs. • The attention and movement required by athletic events becomes increasingly difficult when your body is in a tense state. • Anxiety in athletes generally comes from the fear of failure or negative self talk. • Anxiety can cause athletes to want to escape from performing ( Fight-or-Flight) • A main cause of anxiety in athletes is previous injuries. • The more self confidence an athlete has the less anxiety they will face. • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YImMVYPcXHw&feature=player_detailpage

13. DEALING WITH ANXIETY • Anxiety is very hard to self regulate • Anxiety is not something that can ever be overcome, but it can be controlled • Professional intervention is generally required. • If the anxiety is severe enough medication may be needed. • A common technique used to help control anxiety is visualization. • Visualization helps to calm anxious people. • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=je1_Upm1UkI&feature=player_detailpage

14. BODY IMAGE:WHAT IS IT? • Athletes are always faced with the need to be perfectly fit due to the high demand and competiveness of their sport. • The obsession with body type is specifically true to athletes who participate in judged sports such as gymnastics, wrestling, figure skating and dancing. • Body image is how we ourselves personally feel about our physical appearance. Every single one of us has a body image, and a perception on how we look. • In today's society body image has become completely influenced by the media • Athletes suffer with body image just as much as everyone else. • Because of the set ideal body descriptions for each sport an athlete can become obsessed with fitting into the mold.

15. NUTRITION/EATING DISORDERS • Athletes are highly competitive and disciplined individuals who are constantly looking to excel in their sports. • Pressure from coaches and fans can put athletes at an even higher risk of developing an eating disorder. • Identifying eating disorders is even harder to do in athletes. Athletes tend to mask their disorders by blaming their weight loss on their training and performance goals. • The three most common disorders found in athletes are anorexia nervosa, bulimia and compulsive exercise.

16. EDUCATION/SUPPORT • It is important for athletes to be well educated on the proper amounts of exercise and nutrition intake needed for their specific body types. • Coaches should be trained on body image and eating disorders so that they can easily identify them amongst their athletes. • In younger athletes the parents play an influential role in being positive advocates for their children. • Support for athletes is essential for self esteem and self confidence in both the athlete's abilities and physical appearances. • http://vimeo.com/61831710

17. SELF CONFIDENCE: WHAT IS IT? • Self confidence is a feeling of trust in ones abilities. • Having self confidence is extremely important when it comes to performing well in sports. • When an athlete feels more confident in their abilities they are most likely to perform better them those who doubt themselves.

18. BUILDING SELF CONFIDENCE • Just like athletic skill, self confidence must be practiced and maintained. • An athlete can promote their self confidence by visualizing themselves performing at their full potential, and having positive self talk reflections. • Athletes can turn their opponents weakness’s into their own strengths, which will help build confidence • Finding something that motivates athletes helps them to perform better.

19. OVER CONFIDENCE • With self confidence it is important to keep a healthy balance between being over confident and arrogant and lacking complete confidence. • Too much confidence in an athlete can also affect their performance because they often don’t recognize their weaknesses. • When an athlete is over confident they often times don’t listen to the helpful criticism of others.

20. ATHLETES AND SELF CONFIDENCE • Soccer Player Loses Confidence in Competition “I train so hard in practice, but in a game situation, I doubt myself and don’t have the same level of confidence I had in practice.” • Golfer Lacks Confidence After Making Mistakes “I try to perform so perfectly when I play golf that after I hit a bad or even marginal shot, I get frustrated, hit more bad shots, and then lose my confidence altogether.” • Basketball Player Unravels After Coach Blows Top “When my coach rides me after missing a simple lay up, my confidence goes out the window and then I play tentatively for the rest of the game and can’t find the basket.”

21. DEPRESSION:WHAT IS IT? • Mental health disorder • All athletes are at risk from… • Over training, heavy workload, pressure to deliver high performance, the lack of rest and relaxation, chronic fatigue and injuries • Over the past couple of years it has had a sudden increase

22. SOME PROBLEMS ATHLETES FACE • The public has always looked at athletes as being physically strong, mentally strong, and as leaders in health and well being • With these kinds of expectations it makes it challenging to seek help

23. THE FIRST MODEL • There are always ways we can help, or even stop this mental health illness • By following the FIRST model (Focus, Identity, Resilience, Service and Time) we know how to prevent issues in the future FOCUS IDENTITY FIRST MODEL RESILIENCE SERVICE TIME

24. CHRONIC TRAUMATIC ENCPHALOPATHY What is it? • Also known as CTE • Progressive disease of the brain found in athletes who have experienced brain trauma • This triggers progressive degeneration of brain tissue and causes a buildup of abnormal protein • It is closely related to many problems including depression

25. Andre Walters (a former NFL player) took his own life at age 44 • Suffered brain damage and CTE (depression) • Both of these issues were related to concussions and head trauma from playing football • This has become a more popular condition for many retired football players

27. Top left: Whole brain section showing no tau protein deposition • Bottom left: Microscopic section shows no tau protein deposition • Top middle: Whole brain section showing abundant tau protein deposition • Bottom middle: Microscopic section showing numerous tau positive • Top right: Whole brain section from a 73 year old world champion boxer with severe dementia showing very severe tau protein deposition • Bottom right: Microscopic section from a 73 year old world champion boxer with severe dementia showing extremely dense tau

28. POST COMPETITION DEPRESSION • What many athletes go through after their athletic career • They have a hard time getting used to a new routine • If an athlete is unprepared for this transition they may experience depression and other related symptoms

29. HOW DO YOU TREAT POST COMPETITION DEPRESSION? • Very important to familiarize coaches, athletes, and doctors for treatment • Sport psychologists specialize in treating athletes for these problems • It is important to keep track of both weight and sleep • Ensure they are not losing all of their social support from team members and coaches

30. MIND OF THE ATHLETE • An athlete will either explode or implode while suffering • Neither exploding or imploding is good for an athlete • Exploding may cause harm to the athlete or those around him/her • Imploding will cause a team member to eventually drift from the team and even the sport

31. MENTALLY TOUGH:WHAT DOES IT MEAN? • You need to have confidence in your own ability and the ability of your team • You need longing, determination, and motivation to succeed • You need to be able to achieve personal and team goals in high pressure situations • You need to keep focused, and not be distracted from your original objectives

32. MENTALLY STRONG PEOPLE AVOID • Feeling sorry for themselves • Giving away their power • Shy away from change • Waste energy on things they cannot control • Worry about pleasing others • Fear taking calculated risks • Dwell on the past • Make the same mistakes over and over • Resent others successes • Fear alone time • Feel the world owes them • Expect immediate results

33. THE 6 ELEMENTS OF MENTAL TOUGHNESS How to build a strong athlete … • Flexibility • Expect the unexpected 2. Responsiveness • Remain engaged alive and connected when put under pressure 3. Strength • Being able to focus on what is important and help give your team encouragement

34. CONTINUED … 4. Courage and Ethics • Always lead your team to do the right thing, you need to always make the best decisions 5. Resiliency • Help your team rebound from disappointments, keep positive and look towards the future 6. Sportsmanship • Always be the better player

35. MENTAL TOUGHNESS • We all need these six skills to succeed and to become mentally strong athleaders • Athletes can not succeed on technical skill alone

36. GETTING CUT FROM A SPORTS TEAM • There is lots of stress and pressure before the tryout • Excitement or disappointment after • Every athlete will be cut from something at least once in their life • Most athletes either grow from the experience, or give up on the sport

37. FAMOUS FAILURES http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLYECIjmnQs

38. HELPING CHILDREN COPE WITH BEING CUT • Ask in advance what coaches are looking for, if they don’t make the team ask what they can improve on for next time • Prepare your child for the worst • Try to keep them interested and involved • Allow them to handle it on their own • Keep it in perspective

39. BIBLIORGAPHY • http://thesportdigest.com/archive/article/stress-and-anxiety-athletics • http://www.ehow.com/how_2257634_deal-pressure-sports.html • http://ezinearticles.com/?Sports-Psychology:-For-Athletes-to-Deal-With-Stress-on-Competitive-Day---Preparation&id=5784297 • http://www.moneyinstructor.com/doc/stressmanage.asp • http://www.brianmac.co.uk/articles/scni38a6.htm • http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Power-of-Confidence-in-Athletes&id=4391699 • http://www.content4reprint.com/inspirational/motivational/how-to-build-self-confidence-for-athletes.htm • http://www.peaksports.com/the-confident-athlete-cd-program/ • http://www.bodysense.ca/en/girls • http://socialanxietydisorder.about.com/od/copingwithsad/a/sportsbasics.htm • http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/145855.php • http://sportsmedicine.about.com/cs/sport_psych/a/aa010603a.htm • http://www.athleticinsight.com/Vol1Iss2/Psychoanalytic_Anxiety.htm • http://www.ehow.com/about_6577865_athletic-anxiety.html • http://helpguide.org/mental/stress_signs.htm • http://coachdeanhebert.wordpress.com/2007/12/16/stress-and-the-athlete/ • http://life.familyeducation.com/stress/health/35878.html • http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/info/anxiety/ • http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/249190.php • Videos • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YImMVYPcXHw (mental toughness) • http://vimeo.com/61831710 ( Body Image) • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHtWSW6OGyU (managing stress during competition/training) • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o20RweDzCBY ( managing stress) • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=je1_Upm1UkI (motivation, visualization, anxiety and arousal) • http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/info/anxiety/ (anxiety GAD)

40. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YImMVYPcXHw (mental toughness) • http://vimeo.com/61831710 ( Body Image) • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHtWSW6OGyU (managing stress during competition/training) • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o20RweDzCBY ( managing stress) • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=je1_Upm1UkI (motivation, visualization, anxiety and arousal) • http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/info/anxiety/ (anxiety GAD) • http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tim-elmore/responding-to-the-rise-of_b_4255007.htmlhttp://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20526304_10,00.html • http://www.princeton.edu/uhs/pdfs/NCAA%20Managing%20Student-Athletes%20Mental%20Health%20Issues.pdf • http://www.livestrong.com/article/84436-depression-athletes/ • http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/04/130402150149.htm • http://www.bu.edu/cste/about/what-is-cte/ • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-uKGHIHMb4 • http://www.forbes.com/2010/09/17/executive-mental-toughness-leadership-managing-athletes.html • http://strong-athlete.com/mental-toughness-the-winning-secret-of-elite-athletes.html • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLYECIjmnQs • http://family.go.com/parenting/pkg-teen/article-785654-when-your-child-doesn-t-make-the-team-t/ • http://www.sportgent.com/2012/09/27/what-mentally-tough-actually-mean/