By: Lauren and Hannah
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Stress affects both our minds and our bodies.
Stress is generally caused by situations affecting our lives.
Stress is our bodies way of responding to pressure.
A little bit of stress is okay, but too much stress can cause harm to both
our mental and physical states.
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The things causing us to be stressed are referred to as stressors.
Not everyone becomes stressed for the same reasons, everyone is
different.
Stress is generally caused by external factors more so then internal
External stress factors are situations around us while internal stress
factors are our personality traits.
Common external stress factors are: Major life changes , Work or school,
Relationship difficulties, Financial problems , Being too busy and
Children and family.
Common internal stress factors are: Chronic worry , Pessimism, Negative
self-talk, Unrealistic expectations/Perfectionism, Rigid thinking, lack of
flexibility and an All-or-nothing attitude.
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Athletes are constantly under pressure to perform.
Athletes often deal with stress better then non- athletes due to constant
exposure.
Stress can help focus an athlete, but too much stress can affect the way
that the athlete performs.
Too much stress can cause an athlete to feel emotionally and physically
unable.
An athlete under minimal stress will out perform an athlete dealing with
a lot of stress.
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Stress can increases the risk of illness and injury.
The emotional side of stress can cause us to lose motivation and in some
cases become clinically depressed.
Athletes tend to add pressure onto themselves and often times over train.
Training too much can add additional stress onto the body, which
increases the risk of injury even further.
Stress can cause us to: Eat more or less, Sleep too much or too little,
Isolate ourselves from others, Procrastinate or neglect responsibilities,
Use alcohol, cigarettes, or drugs to relax, Have nervous habits (e.g. nail
biting, pacing), Feel Aches and pains, Have bowel issues, Feel Nauseous
or dizzy, Have Chest pains and/or rapid heartbeats, Have Frequent colds
and Have increased muscle tension.
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No matter how much you try, there will always be some sort of stress in
your life.
Developing coping techniques can help manage the amount of stress
people have in their lives.
Effective techniques for dealing with stress are: relaxation,
visualization/imagery, self talk and realistic goal setting.
Not all coping techniques work for everyone.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHtWSW6OGyU&feature=player_
detailpage
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=o20Rwe
DzCBY
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Chronic pain
Migraines
Ulcers
Heartburn
High Blood Pressure
Heart Disease
Diabetes
Asthma
Obesity
Infertility
Autoimmune Diseases
Skin Problems
Irritable bowel syndromes
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Anxiety is often caused by stress
Anxiety is when you are constantly in the state of worry or fear.
Mild anxiety is normal, but severe cases can have a big impact on peoples
lives.
Anxiety can take control of the things people do on a daily basis and can
affect their way of life both mentally and physically.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPWFXZJ59Js&feature=player_em
bedded
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Anxiety is the worlds most common Mental illness
It is generally caused by internal factors more so then external.
Factors such as being a perfectionist, living in the here and now and self
doubt are all some of the personality aspects that cause high anxiety.
For anxiety to become a clinical concern the worries and fears must
remain for long periods and interfere with everyday life functions.
Unlike stress anxiety is more of a mental health disorder.
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Anxiety can affect the way an athlete performs.
The attention and movement required by athletic events becomes
increasingly difficult when your body is in a tense state.
Anxiety in athletes generally comes from the fear of failure or negative
self talk.
Anxiety can cause athletes to want to escape from performing ( Fight-orFlight)
A main cause of anxiety in athletes is previous injuries.
The more self confidence an athlete has the less anxiety they will face.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YImMVYPcXHw&feature=player_d
etailpage
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Anxiety is very hard to self regulate
Anxiety is not something that can ever be overcome, but it can be
controlled
Professional intervention is generally required.
If the anxiety is severe enough medication may be needed.
A common technique used to help control anxiety is visualization.
Visualization helps to calm anxious people.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=je1_Upm1UkI&feature=player_deta
ilpage
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Athletes are always faced with the need to be perfectly fit due to the high
demand and competiveness of their sport.
The obsession with body type is specifically true to athletes who
participate in judged sports such as gymnastics, wrestling, figure skating
and dancing.
Body image is how we ourselves personally feel about our physical
appearance. Every single one of us has a body image, and a perception on
how we look.
In today's society body image has become completely influenced by the
media
Athletes suffer with body image just as much as everyone else.
Because of the set ideal body descriptions for each sport an athlete can
become obsessed with fitting into the mold.
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Athletes are highly competitive and disciplined individuals who are
constantly looking to excel in their sports.
Pressure from coaches and fans can put athletes at an even higher risk of
developing an eating disorder.
Identifying eating disorders is even harder to do in athletes. Athletes tend
to mask their disorders by blaming their weight loss on their training and
performance goals.
The three most common disorders found in athletes are anorexia nervosa,
bulimia and compulsive exercise.
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It is important for athletes to be well educated on the proper amounts of
exercise and nutrition intake needed for their specific body types.
Coaches should be trained on body image and eating disorders so that
they can easily identify them amongst their athletes.
In younger athletes the parents play an influential role in being positive
advocates for their children.
Support for athletes is essential for self esteem and self confidence in both
the athlete's abilities and physical appearances.
http://vimeo.com/61831710
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Self confidence is a feeling of trust in ones abilities.
Having self confidence is extremely important when it comes to
performing well in sports.
When an athlete feels more confident in their abilities they are most
likely to perform better them those who doubt themselves.
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Just like athletic skill, self confidence must be practiced and maintained.
An athlete can promote their self confidence by visualizing themselves
performing at their full potential, and having positive self talk reflections.
Athletes can turn their opponents weakness’s into their own strengths,
which will help build confidence
Finding something that motivates athletes helps them to perform better.
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With self confidence it is important to keep a healthy balance between
being over confident and arrogant and lacking complete confidence.
Too much confidence in an athlete can also affect their performance
because they often don’t recognize their weaknesses.
When an athlete is over confident they often times don’t listen to the
helpful criticism of others.
Soccer Player Loses Confidence in Competition
“I train so hard in practice, but in a game situation, I doubt myself and don’t
have the same level of confidence I had in practice.”
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Golfer Lacks Confidence After Making Mistakes
“I try to perform so perfectly when I play golf that after I hit a bad or even
marginal shot, I get frustrated, hit more bad shots, and then lose my
confidence altogether.”
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Basketball Player Unravels After Coach Blows Top
“When my coach rides me after missing a simple lay up, my confidence goes
out the window and then I play tentatively for the rest of the game and
can’t find the basket.”
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Mental health disorder
All athletes are at risk from…
Over training, heavy workload, pressure to deliver
high performance, the lack of rest and relaxation,
chronic fatigue and injuries
Over the past couple of years it has had a sudden
increase
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The public has always looked at athletes as being
physically strong, mentally strong, and as leaders in
health and well being
With these kinds of expectations it makes it
challenging to seek help
There are always ways we can help, or even
stop this mental health illness
 By following the FIRST model (Focus, Identity,
Resilience, Service and Time) we know how to
prevent issues in the future
FOCUS
IDENTITY
FIRST MODEL
RESILIENCE
SERVICE
TIME
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What is it?
 Also known as CTE
 Progressive disease of the brain found in
athletes who have experienced brain trauma
 This triggers progressive degeneration of brain
tissue and causes a buildup of abnormal
protein
 It is closely related to many problems including
depression
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Andre Walters (a former NFL player) took his
own life at age 44
Suffered brain damage and CTE (depression)
Both of these issues were related to concussions
and head trauma from playing football
This has become a more popular condition for
many retired football players
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Top left: Whole brain section showing no tau
protein deposition
Bottom left: Microscopic section shows no tau
protein deposition
Top middle: Whole brain section showing
abundant tau protein deposition
Bottom middle: Microscopic section showing
numerous tau positive
Top right: Whole brain section from a 73 year old
world champion boxer with severe dementia
showing very severe tau protein deposition
Bottom right: Microscopic section from a 73 year
old world champion boxer with severe dementia
showing extremely dense tau
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What many athletes go through after their athletic
career
They have a hard time getting used to a new routine
If an athlete is unprepared for this transition they may
experience depression and other related symptoms
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Very important to familiarize coaches, athletes,
and doctors for treatment
Sport psychologists specialize in treating
athletes for these problems
It is important to keep track of both weight and
sleep
Ensure they are not losing all of their social
support from team members and coaches
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An athlete will either explode or implode while
suffering
Neither exploding or imploding is good for an
athlete
Exploding may cause harm to the athlete or
those around him/her
Imploding will cause a team member to
eventually drift from the team and even the
sport
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You need to have confidence in your own
ability and the ability of your team
You need longing, determination, and
motivation to succeed
You need to be able to achieve personal and
team goals in high pressure situations
You need to keep focused, and not be
distracted from your original objectives
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Feeling sorry for themselves
Giving away their power
Shy away from change
Waste energy on things they cannot control
Worry about pleasing others
Fear taking calculated risks
Dwell on the past
Make the same mistakes over and over
Resent others successes
Fear alone time
Feel the world owes them
Expect immediate results
How to build a strong athlete …
1. Flexibility
 Expect the unexpected
2. Responsiveness
 Remain engaged alive and connected when put
under pressure
3. Strength
 Being able to focus on what is important and
help give your team encouragement
4. Courage and Ethics
 Always lead your team to do the right thing,
you need to always make the best decisions
5. Resiliency
 Help your team rebound from
disappointments, keep positive and look
towards the future
6. Sportsmanship
 Always be the better player
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We all need these six skills to succeed and to become
mentally strong athleaders
Athletes can not succeed on technical skill alone
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There is lots of stress and pressure before the tryout
Excitement or disappointment after
Every athlete will be cut from something at least once
in their life
Most athletes either grow from the experience, or give
up on the sport
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLYECIjmn
Qs
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Ask in advance what coaches are looking for, if they
don’t make the team ask what they can improve on for
next time
Prepare your child for the worst
Try to keep them interested and involved
Allow them to handle it on their own
Keep it in perspective
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http://thesportdigest.com/archive/article/stress-and-anxiety-athletics
http://www.ehow.com/how_2257634_deal-pressure-sports.html
http://ezinearticles.com/?Sports-Psychology:-For-Athletes-to-Deal-With-Stress-on-Competitive-Day--Preparation&id=5784297
http://www.moneyinstructor.com/doc/stressmanage.asp
http://www.brianmac.co.uk/articles/scni38a6.htm
http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Power-of-Confidence-in-Athletes&id=4391699
http://www.content4reprint.com/inspirational/motivational/how-to-build-self-confidence-for-athletes.htm
http://www.peaksports.com/the-confident-athlete-cd-program/
http://www.bodysense.ca/en/girls
http://socialanxietydisorder.about.com/od/copingwithsad/a/sportsbasics.htm
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/145855.php
http://sportsmedicine.about.com/cs/sport_psych/a/aa010603a.htm
http://www.athleticinsight.com/Vol1Iss2/Psychoanalytic_Anxiety.htm
http://www.ehow.com/about_6577865_athletic-anxiety.html
http://helpguide.org/mental/stress_signs.htm
http://coachdeanhebert.wordpress.com/2007/12/16/stress-and-the-athlete/
http://life.familyeducation.com/stress/health/35878.html
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/info/anxiety/
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/249190.php
Videos
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YImMVYPcXHw (mental toughness)
http://vimeo.com/61831710 ( Body Image)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHtWSW6OGyU (managing stress during competition/training)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o20RweDzCBY ( managing stress)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=je1_Upm1UkI (motivation, visualization, anxiety and arousal)
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/info/anxiety/ (anxiety GAD)
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YImMVYPcXHw (mental toughness)
http://vimeo.com/61831710 ( Body Image)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHtWSW6OGyU (managing stress during
competition/training)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o20RweDzCBY ( managing stress)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=je1_Upm1UkI (motivation, visualization, anxiety and arousal)
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/info/anxiety/ (anxiety GAD)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tim-elmore/responding-to-the-rise-of_b_4255007.html
http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20526304_10,00.html
http://www.princeton.edu/uhs/pdfs/NCAA%20Managing%20StudentAthletes%20Mental%20Health%20Issues.pdf
http://www.livestrong.com/article/84436-depression-athletes/
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/04/130402150149.htm
http://www.bu.edu/cste/about/what-is-cte/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-uKGHIHMb4
http://www.forbes.com/2010/09/17/executive-mental-toughness-leadership-managingathletes.html
http://strong-athlete.com/mental-toughness-the-winning-secret-of-elite-athletes.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLYECIjmnQs
http://family.go.com/parenting/pkg-teen/article-785654-when-your-child-doesn-t-make-the-teamt/
http://www.sportgent.com/2012/09/27/what-mentally-tough-actually-mean/