In my first contribution to The Real Athlete Blog, readers were offered an “unofficial” self-reflective questionnaire. Question #2 of the questionnaire invited readers to weigh in on how well they manage their emotions when distractions occur on and off the playing field. Big and small distractions happen everyday in our lives and athletes are no exception.
In my role as a Sport Psychology Consultant, I have observed that one of the main issues that impedes an athlete's ability to play up to their real or perceived potential and experience ongoing enjoyment from competitive involvement is how that individual responds to internal and external performance distractions.
These distractions manifest either as cognitive and/or somatic anxiety. Cognitive anxiety is disruptive to performance because mental resources are being used inefficiently when one's attention is diverted from productive to unproductive thinking, and the new negative thoughts, detract from one's capacity to engage in problem solving tasks. Somatic anxiety produces tension and the individual experiences energy levels that are either too low or too high for the applicable performance tasks. This can adversely influence an athlete’s coordination and timing.
Cognitive and/or somatic anxiety can quickly transform into anger, frustration, depression, feelings of helplessness, and almost always involves negative self-talk.
This article offers some information about:
1) Types of distracting “mental noise” athletes bring onto the athletic playing field that frequently interrupt their performance.
2) How “mental noise” impedes mental clarity and physical responsiveness, which over time can develop into a conditioned negative feedback loop.
3) A few simple strategies that players will find useful in managing “mental noise” and emotional anxiety.
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First up, there are no magical cures to make performance anxiety disappear. Experienced athletes are aware that there is a certain range of emotional excitement (arousal), which is useful for focused performance. However, tripping oneself up by becoming overly anxious and self-critical is never useful.
The magical players who successfully manage their emotions either acquire these skills through trial and error, or study strategies to create a system that works.
So what is “mental noise?” There are two types - internal and external. Examples of internal noise include: “I can’t hit today," "I can’t concentrate," "I’m in a slump,” or “If I don’t start performing better, the coach is going to bench me.”
Examples of external noise, or things that are bugging you in your playing environment include: “I hate this ball park because the fans are rude and never stop heckling.”; “The sun is always in my eyes."; "It’s always windy here.”; or “The coach is telling me to do something that doesn’t make sense to me.”
There are many examples and I am going to invite you to fill in your “mental noise” in the simple strategies portion of this article.
All athletes want full access to their optimal performance state on game day. Winning matters and players come to the game to win. Players are also aware that all sorts of unpredictable emotional situations arise which have the potential to create mental distraction, feelings of frustration, worry, anger or at its worst, loss of control. Sometimes it takes only one incident to trigger negative thoughts and feelings. Sometimes it’s the third or 4th incident that activates a cascading loop of negative thoughts and feelings.
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When a player is motivated to learn how to manage his/her emotions and comes to me for ideas to manage his/her emotions more efficiently, early in our meetings, I give a 10-15 minute mini-course on “How Your Mind and Body Communicate.”
Here’s a short version of the course. Think of the nerves in your body as wires that carry electrical signals from one part of the body to another. This group of nerves is called the sensory portion of the central nervous system. The central nervous system also carries the signals from the brain through the body so you can run, jump, talk, walk, and be mobile at will. This group of nerves is called the motor system.
Another part of the nervous system is called the autonomic system. It operates at a subconscious level and is very much involved in the ability to feel and experience emotions. The autonomic nervous system connects the brain, heart, and body.
There are two branches of the nervous system activity. The sympathetic nervous system prepares the body for action by speeding up the heart rate. It can be compared to the gas pedal in a car.
The 2nd branch, the parasympathetic nervous system, is compared to a brake pedal in a car because it slows the heart rate.
When a player runs for a ball, the sympathetic nervous system speeds up the heart rate. In the breaks between plays, the parasympathetic nervous system slows down the heart rate.
Emotions like frustration, anger, worry, or doubt will cause these signals that are going down the two parts of the autonomic system to get out of synch with each other. This is similar to having one foot on the car’s gas pedal (the sympathetic nervous system) and the other on the brake (parasympathetic nervous system) at the same time, creating a jerky ride and wasting energy.
The longer and stronger the duration of out of synch communication between the autonomic nervous system, heart, and brain, the more difficult it becomes to:
*Think clearly, which influences processing (e.g. misreading signals or instructions from the base coach).
*Process quickly, which affects a player’s ability to visually pick up speed, angle, spin, ball height etc.
*Maintain physical coordination and timing.
*Play at the highest energy level due to the added stress on the autonomic system that causes the player to fatigue more quickly.
Everyone has negative things happen to him/her that have resulted in experiencing negative emotions. But over time, negative emotions and the knee jerk reactions that lead to negative emotions becomes a bad habit and it happens unconsciously.
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The good news is that there are some simple strategies pre-game, during games, and post-game that can help you begin to recognize negative thinking and actions you can take to shift your thoughts and feelings.
Pre-game (Night or morning before a game): Reframing Distractions.
The technique is called “reframing distractions.” Reframing is turning a negative into a positive/problem solving opportunity. Take a piece of paper and fold it or make a line down the middle. Take 5 minutes and write down all the negative/catastrophic thoughts and ideas that enter your mind about the upcoming game. It can include internal and external thoughts.
Examples:
1) I haven’t been hitting well and I don’t want to let the team down.
2) I’ve heard that scouts are going to be at the game tomorrow. I have to do something great while they are here so they recognize my abilities.
3) The last time I played here, I didn’t get a hit and the pitcher wasn’t that good. I felt really angry and stupid when I didn’t get a hit off that pitcher.
On the other half of the paper, take 5-10 minutes to reframe your negative thoughts.
Examples:
1) I never play to let my team down. The team knows I am with them 100% and they support every contribution I make in every game. The more I believe and allow my abilities to surface, the more I actively support the team regardless if I get a hit or not today.
2) I’ve heard that scouts are going to be at the game. I’ve heard that before, and regardless of whether or not there are scouts in the stands, they aren’t playing the game, I am. Every game I play my best, and whoever is in the stands, whether it be scouts or some guy wandering by, gets to see me in action!
3) The last time I played in this stadium, I wasn’t prepared for the environment of wind and sun. The pitcher didn’t have to be that good because I was too distracted by the elements. I know better now and have prepared by practicing in those conditions. It doesn’t guarantee I will get hits today, but I am more confident and ready than last time. Bring it on!
During Games: Centered breathing.
Centered breathing is a technique that involves breathing to manage energy levels.
Focusing on your breathing is a simple way to center your body, focus your attention, and step out of your “mental noise.” A simple method is 4x4x5 breathing.
Breathe in deeply for the count of four. Hold your breath for the count of four. Release your breath for a count of five or longer. It’s an easy skill and some sports allow enough time between plays to repeat this twice.
Post-game: Asset/Deficit feedback sheets.
Take notes at the end of each practice/workout and competitive game for 2-5 minutes. Based on the examples below, you should assign points for responding proactively and negatively to distractions and issues that arose during your practices and games. It is hard to set a target amount of points, but over time, you will be able to set goals based on your previous self-evaluations.
Examples:
1) +10 points. I noticed that I was thinking negatively, and instead of allowing my worries to spiral out of control, I shifted my thoughts. I reframed my inner dialogue and interrupted the negative thoughts by applying the 4x4x5 breathing technique. After a minute or two, I had regained my rhythm and my focus was back on the game.
2) -15 points. The referee missed another foul. The referee is ignoring the opponent's fouls on me and I lost it. I was pulled out of the game for 5 minutes, costing the team needed points.
3) +10 points. When I re-entered the game, I didn’t allow myself to get hooked into judging whether the refs calls were accurate or not, and as a result, was able to remain in the game and score some crucial threes to win in the last 5 minutes.
You decide the point values. The numbers don’t matter, except to make you notice and record whether you are making a conscious effort to make changes and remain in control of your emotional choices. For lasting change to occur, old cycles of behavior and reactions must be interrupted and new behaviors/actions must be applied consistently.
It’s common for players to do these exercises a few times and then stop reinforcing these skills because they are playing well. This is a mistake. These techniques need to be practiced and customized until the new thought patterns become routine or else it is easy to revert to your old habits.
Hopefully, this article and simple strategy ideas will encourage you to begin managing your emotions. It isn’t a magical cure and it doesn’t happen automatically. Everyday isn’t going to be a perfect day and it needn’t be to make headway or succeed. The goal is to begin to be more aware of your thoughts and feelings and activate the strategies that elicit the mental energy that allows you the opportunity to play up to your potential.
Have fun!