IN every championship game, stress is innate. This ever-present companion eats us up physiologically and psychologically because of the various frustrations, conflicts and stresses that are getting into every individual, everyday of our lives.
Athletes are also vulnerable to stress, the truth of the matter is that athletes can be stressed physically and mentally as they deal with vulnerable situations of stress in or out of the playing arena. Injuries for example are stress agent aside from game situations where they face situational facts that even result to anger where there stress levels are tested.
Dealing with everyday stress is not only depending on the levels but “knowing your limits” and taking appropriate action to limit or modify these stresses. Athletes for example must deal with the pressures in a given game because they have to perform as expected, added to these expectations of good performance are pressures from the expectant crowd, coaches and teammates.
Athletes in general are prone to pressures when in play, their performance affected by specific stress - inducing events and situations.
In a football or basketball game for example; players tend to commit hard fouls, in turn, the fouled player perceive the opponent to be the enemy as a result of anger, thus affecting the athlete’s performance, behavior and attitude.
Learning to perceive opponents as friends and knowing to understand and deal with anger are ways to turn off individual pressures or stress, just try to identify the threat that causes you to be angry and letting go of anger, and by acknowledging your anger to yourself and knowing to differentiate between the levels of anger, you can be relieved of the stressor.
Although athletes can control their anger, the pressures of the game hunt them even after their performance thinking what the coach tells them after the game. In times like this, the composure of every athlete is affected, mentally and physically. Taking time to relax or meditate and expanding your relationship with others is one way to do away with pressure or stress.
By relaxing and establishing relationship with others, you can expand your social support system. In turn you won’t be courting stress because of the emotional support that other individuals can give. But of all the essentials in turning off the pressures good nutrition and regular exercise can be best solutions.
Good nutrition and Regular exercise is vital, because individuals who regularly exercise and good nutrition have a lower arousal to stress, it also helps in balancing and stabilizing the physiological consequences of emotional stress and maintains the systems in fit condition so as to handle effectively any additional stress. Also exercise ensure the body normal fatigue and relaxation.
