Stress might be one of the most common thing in our life. There are stressors all around us and there are ways for us to deal with those situations on a daily basis. Some of the most effective ways to deal with stress can be find through sports. The following techniques are useful to manage your stress.
3 ways to deal with stress
Stress Mindset
One of the most effective ways to manage stress begins with how an individual perceives it. Adopting a “stress-is-enhancing” mindset leads to a range of adaptive outcomes, unlike a “stress-is-debilitating” mindset (Mansell & Turner, 2023). Viewing stress through a positive lens can highlight its benefits, such as increased productivity, creativity, problem-solving, and improved performance. To cultivate this mindset, individuals should focus on their vocabulary and perception when experiencing stress.
Irrational beliefs
The role of trait beliefs plays an important part on dealing with stress. Belief represents how an individual might see himself in a situation that will thus impact how their actions and performance. Having the right belief is crucial in sports. When stress occurs, an individual that adopts rational beliefs (flexible, logical, realistic) will likely experience adaptive outcomes (e.g., greater well-being; Turner, 2016), whereas those who possess irrational beliefs (rigid, illogical and unrealistic) may experience negative affective states (DiGiuseppe,1996). Everyone should aim to focus on more rational beliefs to manage their stress (i.e., I can perform despite my stress, I can play in any condition, Mistakes are normal, etc.).
Reappraisal
Following irrational beliefs, reappraisal represents an opportunity to reframe the meaning of a situation to alter its impact, often by viewving it in a more positive or useful way. It’s important to teach athletes how they can influence their thoughts, emotions and behaviors by helping them recognize that they are able to exert a sense of control over this process (Kara et al., 2023). For instance, reappraisal could be to understand that a racing heart rate can be a sign of being ready to perform not only a sign of stress (Crum et al., 2013).
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REFERENCE
Crum, A. J., Salovey, P., & Achor, S. (2013). Rethinking stress: The role of mindsets in determining the stress response. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 104, 716–733. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0031201
DiGiuseppe, R. (1996). The nature of irrational and rational beliefs: Progress in rational emotive behavior theory. Journal of Rational-Emotive & Cognitive-Behavior Therapy, 5–28. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02238091
Kara, E., Türküm, A. S., & Turner, M. J. (2023). The effects of Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT) group counselling program on competitive anxiety of student-athletes. Journal of Rational-Emotive & Cognitive-Behavior Therapy, 362–379. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10942-023-00497-z
Mansell, P. C., & Turner, M. J. (2023). The mediating role of proactive coping in the relationships between stress mindset, challenge appraisal tendencies, and psychological wellbeing. Frontiers in Psychology, 14(open in a new window), 1140790. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1140790
Turner, M. J. (2016). Rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT), irrational and rational beliefs, and the mental health of athletes. Frontiers in Psychology, 1423. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01423
