Write your search in the input below and press enter.
Esc to close.

The Sports Doc Chalk Talk with Dr. Chris Stankovich

Peak Performance:
Not Just for Sports, for Life

  • Products
    • Toolkits
    • Audio
    • Videos
    • Books
    • Apps
  • Services
  • Chalk Talk
    • Recent
    • Athletes
    • Coaching
    • Sports Parenting
    • Sports Administrators
    • Life
    • Administrators
  • About Dr. Stankovich
  • Testimonials
  • Contact
  • Products
    • Toolkits
    • Audio
    • Books
    • Videos
    • Apps
  • Services
  • Chalk Talk
  • About Dr. Stankovich
  • Testimonials
  • Contact

Hello. Sign In

My Account
  • Login
  • Register
0
The Sports Doc Chalk Talk
Subscribe
The Sports Doc Chalk Talk with Dr. Chris Stankovich
  • Recent
  • Athletes
  • Coaching
  • Sports Parenting
  • Life
  • Administrators
Home / Blog / Watch for Young Athletes Experiencing ‘Good Stress’ & Tips to Help

Watch for Young Athletes Experiencing ‘Good Stress’ & Tips to Help

By: Dr. Chris Stankovich | @DrStankovich | Apr 20, 2015

No Comments

Champions League Trophy Tour - Romford

Have you ever witnessed a kid having success in youth sports, yet still “stressing out?”  Most people think only negative experiences (like performing poorly) cause stress, but did you know success and good events can also be stressful and impact mental toughness?  In fact, sport psychologists refer to good stress as eustress, and it is a very real stress successful athletes often experience.

Some examples of common eustress experiences for kids include:

  • The responsibilities and expectations with being a team captain and/or leader
  • Carrying the success of a team
  • Maintaining a high level of individual success, both to self as well as parents, coaches, and even the community
  • Transitioning to college sports

Eustress operates in the same way as distress (negative stress) and is largely driven by perception and expectations.  Kids who deal with eustress often feel the same symptoms, too, including anxiety and depression.  The biggest difference between distress and eustress is that kids experiencing eustress usually have trouble pinpointing why they feel stressed (after all, they are experiencing good things and feel they shouldn’t be stressed).

Eustress, if left unchecked, can lead to unhealthy coping responses as well, including substance abuse, reckless behaviors, and even premature quitting from sports.  The key is to first understand that kids do in fact experience stress with success, and then keep an eye out for any kids doing well on the field but seemingly not handling it very well.  Additional tips include:

  • Talk to kids regularly about the importance of effort over results (meaning there is more to youth sports than winning games).
  • If you notice a successful athlete dealing with a lot of stress try and find ways to help normalize what he or she is experiencing.
  • Help kids learn about healthy ways to cope with stress, including exercise, engaging in creative endeavors, deep breathing, and positive self-talk.
  • The sense of control is a great tool to stress response, so remind kids of the things they control while going through a stressful period in life.

For more help on young athletes and stress, as well as other contemporary issues in sports, check out our handy e-book and toolkits!

www.drstankovich.com

 

 

Coaching, mental, psychology, sport, Stress, toughness

  • Author
  • Comments
  • Details
Get to Know the Author

Dr. Chris Stankovich

Dr. Stankovich has written/co-written five books, including Positive Transitions for Student Athletes, The ParentsPlaybook, Mind of Steel.

Latest Blog Posts

  • March 22, 2023 Nature or Nurture? Exploring the Psychology of Sport Success
  • March 20, 2023 Morning Sports Practice Before School is Becoming the Norm, but is this Healthy for Kids?
  • March 14, 2023 Understanding Intelligence: Putting Knowledge into ACTION!
  • March 13, 2023 3 Important Tips for Today’s Multi-Sport, Youth Sport Athlete
  • February 26, 2023 The Most Important Sports “Ability” Might Surprise You

Comments are closed.

PREVIOUS POST

Sports Burnout Signs & What Parents Should Do

NEXT POST

Science May Support Medicinal Marijuana to be Used with Neurological Sports Injuries

Category

Amateur , Athletes , Athletic Counseling , Athletic Director , Boys Sports , Burnout , Coaching , College , Communicating with Coach , Confidence , Girls Sports , Mental Toughness , Parent Training , Performance Enhancement , Prep , Quitting , Sport Psychology , Sports Parenting , Sports Performance Science , Team Building , Team Chemistry , Team Cohesion , Training and Development , Uncategorized , Youth and Interscholastic Sports , Youth Sport Burnout , Youth Sports

Tags

Coaching, mental, psychology, sport, Stress, toughness

  • Recent Posts
  • Most Read
  • Nature or Nurture? Exploring the Psychology of Sport Success
  • Morning Sports Practice Before School is Becoming the Norm, but is this Healthy for Kids?
  • Understanding Intelligence: Putting Knowledge into ACTION!
  • 3 Important Tips for Today's Multi-Sport, Youth Sport Athlete
  • The Most Important Sports "Ability" Might Surprise You
  • The Psychology Behind Breaking Bad Habits
  • What has Happened to Free Play and Recreational Sports for Kids?
  • The Importance of Efficiency Applied to Success & Productivity
  • The Most Important Sports "Ability" Might Surprise You
  • Accident Prone & Forgetful? Poor Stress Coping May be the Reason
  • The Sports Doc on TV

    Catch Dr. Stankovich’s tv, radio, and print interviews and columns here!

    Dr. Chris Stankovich Watch Videos
  • Sport Performance Assessment

    Dr. Chris Stankovich Quickly and accurately test your level of mental toughness in just a few minutes using the Sport Performance Assessment.

    (SPA), an easy-to-use sport psychology system specially designed to help you REACH YOUR FULL ATHLETIC POTENTIAL.

    learn more
  • SportsSuccess360

    Life strategies for performance and character development for coaches, parents, and student athletes competing in youth and interscholastic sports.

    Life Strategies learn more
  • Contact Dr. Stankovich

    1395 Grandview Avenue Suite 6, Columbus OH 43212

    (614) 561-4482
    Media & General Inquiries
    information@drstankovich.com
    Sales & Product Support
    sales@drstankovich.com
  • About Dr. Stankovich

    • Media
    • Blog
    • Testimonials
  • Products

    • Toolkits
    • Videos
    • Books
    • Audio
    • iPhone Apps
  • Services

    • Athlete Performance Training
    • Parent Community Forum
    • Coach Education & Development
    • Athletic Crisis Response and Intervention
    • Drug & Alcohol Assessment
    • Life Success Programs
    • Counseling & Consulting Services
  • Blog
  • YouTube
  • twitter
  • facebook

All rights reserved © 2023 Advanced Human Performance Systems™

↓ ↓