Athletes of all levels today are at-risk to deal with high levels of stress. For pro and college athletes, the constant media attention and scrutiny can be more than enough to deal with, but that’s only part of the stress they cope with daily. Younger athletes also experience stress, often because of the same issues as college and pro athletes (i.e. playing time, injuries, etc), but also have their own unique stressors (i.e. the impact of travel leagues, keeping up grades in order to go to college, etc). Often the stress athletes deal with has to do with just how consuming sports have become today, both at the youth and professional levels.
Not being able to successfully deal with stress leaves individuals open to greater risk for injury and accidents, burnout, and a host of long-term physical problems that can even lead to premature death. Fortunately, many of the characteristics of stress and stress recovery can be understood and applied, regardless of athlete age or skill level.
- Everyone experiences stress. Life is full of challenges, from cramming for a test to dealing with traffic to having to accept a reserve role on a team. The question, really, is not whether or not you will deal with stress, but when and how how often? Rather than try and live stress-free, it’s a better move to responsibly prepare for the inevitable and cope successfully.
- Good and bad stress. Most people only think of negative things in life causing stress (like receiving a poor grade in school), and overlook that many positive life events can be stressful, too. For example, student athletes challenged to choose a college often experience stress, as do successful athletes constantly trying to find enough minutes in the day to compete, spend time with family, and deal with never-ending media requests. The key point is to accept that even god things in life can be stressful.
- The impact of change and control. Psychologists have narrowed down the biggest factors that lead to stress, and they are very basic life experiences we deal with every day. We are creatures of habit and often experience stress when forced to change; and similarly, we like to have control of situations and don’t always do real well when we feel as though we are out of control. Perhaps this is why athletes with specific, regimented routines seem to handle stress much better when compared to athletes who struggle with multi-tasking and time management.
- Effective AND healthy coping. Just about anything that helps you forget about your stress is effective (yes, even alcohol is effective in the sense that most people don’t think more about their problems when drunk), but using alcohol on a regular basis to cope with stress is obviously not healthy. The key, therefore, is to find coping mechanisms that provide a respite from the stressor but are not even more damaging to the overall situation. Common examples of healthy and effective coping mechanisms include exercise, talking to family/friends, reading, and engaging in creative endeavors.
Whether its grades, playing time, injuries, or dealing with the media, athletes of all ages and skill levels experience stress that requires them to develop the life skills needed to successfully cope. For more help please visit ou growing product line at AHPS.
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