Athletes and Anxiety Management

“生活运动”的概念

Dr. Jonathan Fader, the team sport psychologist for Major League Baseball’s NY Mets and co-founder of Union Square Practice in New York City, reminds us that there is much to learn about playing with anxiety from those who do it frequently including elite athletes, firefighters, police officers, and members of the military.

What these “anxiety pros” have in common is that they regularly practice enhancing their emotional and physiological awareness, managing these states, and repeatedly exposing themselves to cues (e.g., the tennis ball being served in their direction, the sound of a fire alarm bell or the smell of smoke in the air). In his book, Dr. Fader underscores that when stress happens—and it most certainly will—“no emotional response is not the goal.” Rather, the aim is to identify a degree of arousal that is adaptive for you, that activates you in a positive way without overwhelming you.

How do the pros achieve this balance to play hard during life’s stressful moments?

Mind the Mindset

By using self-talk, threats can be re-conceptualized as challenges. This is as true for the tennis player as he or she prepares for a tie-break set as it is for the student who sits for an exam that is harder than expected, or a businessperson meeting a project deadline that’s been moved up.

Adopting a growth mindset (a term coined by Stanford University psychologist Carol Dweck) is an important first step in developing a helpful new narrative. A growth mindset is one in which you believe that effort, learning, and persistence will lead to better performance.

This is in contrast to a less-than-helpful fixed mindset, in which abilities—be it intelligence or talents—are believed to be unchangeable. Fixed mindsets (for example, "I'm a terrible public speaker." or "I'm not a creative person.") can lead to avoidance of experiences where you might feel like a failure. But then you don't learn as much or improve your skills.

增长心态可以导致激发和激励自我谈话，强调进程而不是结果，以及寻求在特定领域练习和改进的机会。

Expect and Prepare for Stress

Professional athletes, first responders, and members of the military are required to participate in practice drills for a reason. Batting practice can improve response time to a pitch, practicing a tennis serve can improve speed, preparing for a climb by rock-climbing inside can develop strength and strategy. Beyond strength and skill building, these practices are opportunities for people to learn how best to cope with physical and psychological stress.

一种批判方式，你可以控制身体对焦虑的自治反应，斯科德博士写道，是通过练习呼吸练习（在这里阅读更多信息呼吸练习这是专门针对的physical symptoms of anxiety。）。

As few as six full inhalations and exhalations can help the average person reduce his or her anxiety response, explains Dr. Fader, and pairing breath-work with visualization exercises (i.e., picturing all aspects of the challenging scenario) can strengthen your physiological and mental foundation in preparation. For more on integrating a daily focused breath-work practice into your busy schedule, see the American Institute of Stress’s建议。

Step Back Before Moving Forward

InLife as Sport,有几个插图的精英运动员转向观察者模式 - 基本上占据了推子博士认为其表演的“三人观点”。这可能是跨越不同运动审查游戏镜头审查的共同实践的一个原因。

Fortunately for the non-professional athletes among us, a detached perspective on oneself can also be achieved. Imagination and visualization can help, as can asking yourself a few simple questions. To practice stepping outside of yourself and the moment, Dr. Fader recommends developing a ritual in which you wonder about (1) your physical experience of a moment, (2) how sensations start and end, and (3) if you can identify any positive spin on your response to the challenge.

The goal of this exercise is to promote a spirit of curiosity, rather than condemnation, in self-reflection. In time, this may translate more broadly into overarching, nonjudgmental awareness. Dr. Fader elaborates, “When you can be willing to experience the feeling and sensations regarding your anxiety as normal and not harmful, you can gain a sense of power over them even though they have not gone away.”

Use the Body to Embody Confidence

What we don’t say—our posture, tone of voice, or direction of our gaze—communicates volumes to others and to ourselves. Consider a basketball player who responds to a missed shot by looking down, shaking his head and hunching his shoulders. His body may be reacting to thoughts and feelings of disappointment in an understandable way, but his mind is also likely to react to his body—perhaps with feelings of hopelessness and a belief that he is unlikely to pull off three-pointer opportunity.

Contrast this with the leading scorer on the team. If he misses the shot, he may brush off disappointment by rallying the crowd, and himself by extension.

To improve composure under pressure as you play with your anxiety, Dr. Fader advises starting by targeting one or two aspects of behavior to change. This could be standing a little taller, relaxing your shoulders or eyebrows, or speaking intentionally at a slower pace. Notice if one behavior change leads to another, or if positive physiological consequences occur (e.g., slower breathing, decreased heart rate).

Don't Forget the Fun

当你开始与上面概述的一些练习一起玩时，请记住，游戏意味着玩。尽力为手头的任务带来一些轻盈。对你的自然人本能努力注意到什么是错误的，沃德博尔博士在他的书中建议，并致力于专注于你的生活中的队友和你的队友。奖励不需要大，甚至与你希望改变的东西直接相关;它只是需要成为你觉得你努力的积极态度。

A book sample of the following was provided by the publisher for review purposes:Fader, J. Life as Sport: What Top Athletes Can Teach You about How to Win in Life. Da Capo Press: Boston, MA (2016).