Stress Starter Task With a partner discuss whether you agree or disagree with the following statements, and why? 1. All stress is bad. 2. The goal of stress management is to eliminate stress 3. A ‘good life’ should be free from stressors 4. The less stress, the better 5. A person can always adapt to difficult situations if they try hard enough 6. Some people are genetically destined to be highly stressed 7. Distress has only harmful effects 8. Physical exercise drains energy that otherwise might be used to cope with stress 9. Stress only effects adults

Stress, Anxiety and Arousal

Learning Outcomes Define stress and stressors Describe and explain the nature of the stress response with particular emphasis in anxiety Identify and describe relevant terms associated with stress, for example arousal and anxiety Apply the process of stress to a sporting context Evaluate how stress management strategies can maintain or enhance performance under pressure

Define stress and stressors Playing sport is often a stressful experience and learning to cope with pressure is essential. I think these guys below may think the situation they are in is stressful.

Stress Most of us use the word stress when referring to high pressure situation and to describe how we feel in these situations e.g., “I am stressed out” or “I feel under stress” Stress is used interchangeably with lots of other words, which can lead to confusion. Some of these words are: Worry, Anxiety, Fear, Arousal, Distress, Eustress and Emotion

Stress So…… “stress is a particular relationship between the person and their environment, that is appraised by the person as taxing or exceeding their resources or endangering their well-being” (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984) Although stress is usually talked about in negative terms, what would stretch us to achieve if their were no stressors?

Task In pairs discuss occasions when you have felt the following way; Under involved/bored/sleepy Had difficulty with concentration/anxious Scared/excited/alert Were they stressful situations? Conclusion Without stress situations would become boring and psychologically stale, thus stress is not all bad! Eustress = stress that has a beneficial effect Distress = detrimental stressors or negative responses – What can too much stress in our lives cause?

Stressors “The environmental changes that can induce a stress response. They can be physical, social or psychological – real or imagined” Causes of stress are many and varied, but crucially they are specific to an individual Task Make a list of things which cause you stress. These may be related to sports you play or other things in general life

Stressors The sources of stress can generally be divided into four categories; 1. Internal – Things we think about. e.g, experiences, memories, self worth 2. External – Things in our surroundings. e.g. competition, weather 3. Personal Factors – People we share our lives with such as family, friends; and other life factors such as money and health 4. Occupational Factors – The job we do, people we work with and our working conditions Now place your own stressors into these categories…

Stress Experience “the way we perceive the situation” According to Lazarus (1991) we make a judgement. We then decide if we can handle or cope with it. The concept of ‘fight’ or ‘flight’ is put into action. Selyle (1956) developed a theory of how our body adapt to stress; General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) 1. The alarm reaction (physiological changes) 2. Resistance (body recovers from alarm and starts to cope) 3. Exhaustion (body starts to fail in its coping strategies)

Symptoms of Stress Physiological (somatic) Symptons Psychological (Cognitive) Symptoms Behavioural (emotional) Symptoms Increased HR Increased BP Increased sweating Increased respiration Decreased blood flow to the skin Increased oxygen uptake Dry mouth Worry Feeling overwhelmed Inability to concentrate Inability to make decisions Inability to attend Feeling out of control Rapid talking Nail biting Pacing Scowling Yawning Trembling

Measurement of Stress Self-Report Questionnaires CSAI and SCAT (sport specific measure by Martens, 1982) Observation Techniques Coaches use these extensively Consist of observing and monitoring behavioural aspects of stress Over time the coach can learn what the athlete finds stressful and can work to avoid or overcome this. Physiological Responses Many physiological responses can be measured E.g., heart rate, temperature, oxygen uptake, etc.

Stress Experience The whole stress experience is characterised by arousal and anxiety. Arousal (Physiological Response) – positive aspect of stress “the degree of intensity of behaviour” Ranges from deep sleep to high state of excitement The degree of excitement of the performer Anxiety (Emotional Response) – negative aspect of stress “a vague form of fear which involves bodily responses or stress reactions” (Pagman, 1986) The level of physiological arousal and anxiety can have an important effect on performance.

Arousal Can be thought of as a continuum from deep sleep to frenzied Need to find the level that works for each individual “Optimum Level” Do the following need high or low levels arousal: Playing a kiss shot in snooker Golf putting from 1 metre away from the hole A clean and jerk lift in weightlifting Squeezing the trigger in rifle shooting Pushing in the scrum in rugby

Taxonomy of Sport (Oxendine, 1970) Arousal Level Sports 5Weightlifting; gym exercises; tackling in rugby; 200/400 metre racing 4Wrestling/Judo: Long jump: shot-putt; long-distance running 3Football; basketball; high jump; gymnastics; boxing 2Tennis; baseball; fencing; diving 1Golf; archery; bowling; snooker; darts

Anxiety May accompany high levels of arousal Spilberger (1966) identified different types of anxiety; Trait Anxiety The general disposition of the person A person with high trait anxiety is generally a more anxious person State Anxiety This is an emotional response The anxiety that is felt in a particular situation. This can vary from moment to moment. Somatic state anxiety = the body’s response Cognitive state anxiety = psychological worry over the situation

Arousal and Performance Drive Theory (Hull, 1943)

As arousal levels rise so does performance Actual performance depends on the arousal level and skill level of performer Arousal will exaggerate the individuals dominant response Theory too simplistic. WHY??

Arousal and Performance Task Can you think of sporting examples of when arousal can be positive? Psyching up before a game. Elite athletes often discuss thriving on pressure. Many individuals actually seek out potentially stressful situations. Why? The FA Cup

Arousal and Performance Inverted U Hypothesis (Yerkes & Law, 1908)

Arousal and Performance Task Can you think of sporting examples of when arousal can be negative? Performances start to diminish (e.g., Wright-Phillips). The term ‘choking’ is used by Americans in extreme cases. Penalty shoot outs, non performances. Major mistakes in competition. Links to catastrophe theory.

Catastrophe Theory (Hardy and Fazey, 1988) Once arousal has passed, IPS will drop drastically The point of catastrophe Point performance drops = ‘choking’