Coping with Pressure

1. Coping with Pressure Carole Seheult www.sportpsyclive.co.uk

2. Negative consequences of pressure • Some famous examples: World Cups; taking penalties, representing your country, specific pressure points in your sport, etc • Win-at-all costs mentality • High level performances and pressure inseparable • Fear of failure • Being a leader or manager!

3. Types of Pressure • Potential Sources of Stress • Travel, extra bureaucracy, boredom, unfamiliar accommodation, spectators, organisational hiccups, the media • Internal pressures – • When you create pressures on yourself which need not exist; “mountains into molehills”, high expectations where none exist; perfectionism and pessimistic personality traits

4. Thriving on Pressure • Some people actually thrive on pressure! • E.g. Cricketers who don’t mind being on the receiving edge of sledging • Steve Backley during an interview described pressure as being very positive. Felt that it improved his performance 10% • Several times came through to win on last throw • What is it about people like that? Mental toughness

5. Mental Toughness may show itself by: • Maintaining belief against nagging doubts • Remaining focused despite distractions • Keeping going when all seems lost • Threats into opportunities • Finding motivation when struggling to keep going • Harness thoughts and feelings so that they work for you rather than against you • Make choices when there appear to be none available • Remain in control and even enjoy pressure

6. Coping with Pressure • Four pillars: • Keeping your head under stress • Staying strong in your self-belief • Making motivation work for you • Maintaining your focus on the things that matter

7. Tackling and controlling stress • Identify the sources of pressure that can result in stress • Recognising when you are stressed • Develop suitable coping strategies and techniques

8. The Stress Process Pressure • Negative appraisal Predispositions X Stress Behaviour Physical Mental

9. Pressure: What gets to you? • Predispositions – Are you your own worst enemy? • Beliefs and attitudes • Past experiences • Personality • Anxiety • Optimism- Pessimism • Perfectionism

10. How does stress affect you? • Mental – doubt, worry, poor memory and recall, frustration, confusion and panic • Physical – muscle tension, pounding heart, sickness, butterflies and sweaty palms • Behavioural – fidgeting, pacing, becoming quiet and withdrawn or maybe loud and outgoing, being short-tempered, drinking excessive amounts of caffeine and alcohol, disturbed sleep

11. What to do: • Mental symptoms: • Meditative relaxation– deep, intermediate and quick • Imagery based relaxation • Physical Symptoms: • Progressive muscle relaxation • Abdominal breathing • Behavioural Symptoms • Develop awareness of what you do • Identify those that are unhelpful and try to change them

12. Challenging the thinking that causes you stress: • Catastrophising • Over-generalising • Discounting the positive • Mind-reading • Negative predictions • Black and white thinking • Taking things personally

13. What will help • Set and achieve stretching goals • Take and learn from criticism • Establish a balanced perspective on strengths and weaknesses and tackle weaknesses head-on • Take risks • Make decisions without fear of being wrong • Control fear • Bounce back from setbacks with renewed focus and effort • Create a positive future