GET IN CONTROL: ANXIETY-REDUCING TECHNIQUES

6/12/2012

As mentioned in the previous article discussing what anxiety is and why it’s caused, there are two types of anxiety-somatic (dealing with the physical symptoms of anxiety) and cognitive (dealing with the mental and emotional symptoms). This article will address how to gain control of your anxiety so you can regain control of your performance.

Reducing Somatic Anxiety
Since somatic anxiety has to do with the body, any technique that helps to reduce the physiological response (racing heart, tight muscles, stomach issues) falls into this category. Keep in mind that techniques that decrease physical signs of anxiety will also decrease cognitive anxiety.

Techniques for Reducing Somatic Anxiety:

1. Deep breathing-There are numerous methods for using deep breathing to reduce anxiety. Basically, if you breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth as slowly and deeply as possible you’ll be in good shape. You should never feel like you’re holding your breath or forcing it out. Try to imagine breathing through your heart; it can better help to decrease your heart rate. Focusing on your breathing and counting each breath as you exhale can distract your mind from worried thoughts.
2. Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) - Take a few minutes each day to go through all of your muscle groups, tightening a muscle for a few seconds and then relaxing it. By doing this progressive relaxation you can recognize where you are carrying physical tension and learn to physically loosen your muscles so that you can perform your best. Physical tension leads to mental tension and vice versa.
3. Biofeedback-There are several computer programs that can help teach you how to breathe properly and to control your thinking. It can help swimmers to “see” changes related to techniques they are trying.
4. Prerace routines- By doing the same thing before each event, you will focus on what you need to do to swim well rather than the situation. Your pre-race routine should include: a) music that creates your ideal arousal/energy level, b) imagery of how you want to swim or that physically relaxes you, c) positive focus and self-talk, and d) deep breathing and PMR.

Reducing Cognitive Anxiety
Cognitive anxiety typically comes from two places: Fear of Failure or Inappropriate Focus. It’s important to know that you control the way that you think. While your brain might be wired to worry, you still have the ability to logically think through these worries and refocus your mind more appropriately. It’s not always as easy as people make it sound, but with practice you can create more effective mental habits.

Fear of Failure Results From:

1. Lack of confidence
2. Too much emphasis on the outcome
3. Focus on emotions related to failure rather than success
4. High self-expectations and self-imposed pressure
5. Being untapered/physically tired
6. Lack of trust in coach
7. Returning from injury or illness

Techniques for Reducing Failure-Related Anxiety

1. Don’t dwell on potential outcomes prior to or during a race; just focus on racing
2. Focus on success–related emotions (how good will it feel when you win/get a good time/swim the way you trained)
3. Play the odds; you’re more likely to swim well than you are to have an awful race
4. Set realistic expectations, especially when untapered or returning from injury or illness (don’t expect a personal record if it’s been a hard training week)
5. Work on communication with your coach; get him/her to explain their training philosophy and the physiology behind why it works.

Examples of Inappropriate Focus:

1. Uncontrollable/situational factors (competitors, event importance, parents, injury, etc…)
2. Past races/meets
3. Future thinking (What does it mean if I lose?)

Techniques for Reducing Focus-Related Anxiety

1. If you don’t control it, let it go. Make a list of your worries and cross off anything that you can’t directly impact. If you can control it, make a plan.
2. Simplify the race. Focus on what you need to do to swim well (quick start, strong turns, powerful kicks, etc…)
3. Focus on the task (swimming) rather than the situation (championship)
4. Focus on right now, how to make it a great race
5. Trust that if you swim like you’ve trained to, the outcome will take care of itself

Summary
Anxiety does not have to keep you from performing your best. You may have some physical activation (faster heart rate, quicker breathing) but you can control this. Work on reducing both the physiological signs of anxiety as well as the cognitive anxiety. Leave some time for a pre-race routine that allows you to physically and mentally relax. While it requires training, you can regain control of your body by taking control of your mind.

Article from USASwimming.org

FIGHT OR FLIGHT: UNDERSTANDING ANXIETY IN SWIMMING

6/12/2012

  With the Olympic trials around the corner and hundreds of swimmers trying to make qualifying times, sometimes what separates those who make it from those who don’t is their ability to control their nerves. In this first of a three part “swimming anxiety” series, we will address the concept of anxiety and how it manifests itself both physically and psychologically. 

What is anxiety?

Whether you call it anxiety, nerves, or pre-race jitters, it’s all part of the same physiological mechanism. All animals (humans included) have what’s called the “fight-or-flight” response in which our mind and body prepare either to fight a challenge or to run away from it. This response naturally gives us the extra “umph” to battle through competition. Typically, when the mind recognizes an upcoming challenge it causes our heart rate to increase, our muscles to tighten, and our thoughts to narrow. We need a certain amount of physiological and mental energy so we can be ready to compete, but too much can be a problem. Therefore, anxiety can be just as helpful as it is harmful-it all depends on the extent to which you experience it and your ability manage the symptoms of anxiety.

To throw in a little science, there are two types of anxiety:

1. Somatic (the body)- physiological arousal

a. There are varying degrees of somatic anxiety and individuals have an ideal level of physiological activation/somatic anxiety under which they perform their best.

b. Some signs of somatic anxiety:

• Shaking Hands
• Tight muscles
• Difficulty breathing
• Rapid breathing
• Increased heart rate
• Sweating
• Need to urinate
• Sleep disruption

2. Cognitive (the mind)- detrimental changes in thoughts or emotions

a. It’s often an individual’s negative or worried thoughts which lead to performance declines.
b. Signs of cognitive anxiety include:

• Worried thoughts
• Narrowed focus
• Irrational thoughts
• Emotional instability
• Impaired attention and concentration
• Difficulty planning and making decisions

The biochemistry of these anxiety symptoms is quite complex, with adrenalin being a prime chemical involved in these reactions. Serotonin, dopamine, and nor-epinephrine are involved as well. The balance of these chemicals is a determinant of the extent of your symptoms and your control over them. Keep in mind that common behaviors can cause physiological reactions that mimic (or amplify) panic and anxiety, such as:

• Consuming high doses of caffeine
• Consuming high concentrations of sugar
• Taking recreational drugs

What’s the difference between anxiety and a panic attack?
Though they have many of the same somatic and cognitive symptoms listed above, the symptoms of a panic attack are more intense and often disproportionate to the situation. Anxiety symptoms typically are much more controllable and tend to linger longer. A panic attack comes on suddenly and consists of an overwhelming sense of fear. At its extreme, panic can be very disabling and can feel like you are having a heart attack or are unable to breathe. Because the “fight or flight” mechanism is overactive while a panic attack is happening, you can behave and think irrationally (you might suddenly “freeze up” in the water, think you are dying, or grab the person next to you for safety). 

What causes anxiety?
Anxiety can have a number of causes, including both external challenges (the upcoming race) and internal stressors (worries, what-ifs). Reactions to internal stressors can be just as strong as reactions to external challenges. That is, we can feel just as nervous worrying about a race the night before as we do when we are actually standing behind the blocks.

We create our own anxiety when we focus either on the what-ifs (ex: What if I lose? What if I swim poorly? What if I don’t make the qualifying time?) or when we lack confidence in our abilities (often causing these “what-ifs”). Think of a race you had that wasn’t important to you or where you knew you would win it easily. You probably didn’t have the same signs of anxiety because you didn’t see this event as being “pressure packed” or challenging. The perception of a challenge or of pressure can make athletes feel anxious. Therefore, a specific race or situation only produces an anxious response if we choose to interpret that situation as an important challenge.

Summary
Anxiety can be normal and, in many cases, necessary to prime your body to perform. The swimmers who consistently perform well do so by practicing controlling their physiological arousal and their thoughts so their anxiety does not become overwhelming and detrimental to performance.

Part II in this series of articles will focus on how to create the mind of a champion by alleviating the cognitive and physiological signs of anxiety.

Article from USASwimming.org

Changing the Way Your Brain Functions – It CAN Happen

I thought this YouTube link was well worth putting up. Dr Joe Dispenza has spent the last 10 years researching "spontaneous remission" in diseases. What do people who have had spontaneous remission have in common? We are always talking about changing the way you think well here is some interesting information to back it up. It's a fairly long video, but even watching the first 12 minutes can make a difference in the way you think!