100 words each part , please provide feedback to each part

Forums are opportunities for you to reflect, analyze, and even challenge thought, but proper netiquette rules must be followed. Reiterating what other students have already said and/or directly quoting them won’t earn points. All published materials used MUST be paraphrased (restated in your own words) and source credited both in the body of and in a list at the end of each post where any content is based directly on or inspired by a published author’s writing.

Part 1

1. Do you tend to be an individual that struggles with stress and anxiety?

As an athlete, I do deal with a bit of stress and anxiety. Cognitively, depending on the sport I play I may have a small lack of confidence but I still try to do my best, and I do not let that stop me from trying to play better than an opponent. Mainly I just want the event to start, and then I can get into a groove. I have more anxiety on the somatic side of things. I deal with a lot of the physical symptoms of anxiety including pounding heart, increased respiration rate, clammy hands, adrenaline surge, and I always have to go to the bathroom more closer to the times of sporting events I participate in. Most of these are just before the event starts, but some may return if a game I am playing goes into overtime or something.

3. What are possible factors that influence your arousal, stress, and anxiety status before an event?

I think my personality is a huge factor that influences my arousal, stress, and anxiety status before an event. The lesson states that in general if an event is more important, there is more stress in the situation. My personality has such a strong desire to win that I can make a pickup game into something really important to me. I know this only increases the more important the events are as well from past experiences.

4. What are strategies that you can apply to reduce stress and anxiety and maintain appropriate arousal levels?

After reading the article on competitive anxiety, I am looking forward to trying some of these relaxation techniques before I play a pickup game. I found the exercise where one inhales slowly through the nose and exhales gently through the mouth while relaxing different sections of your body (Karageorghis, 2007) interesting. While that may work to an extent before a competition, I wonder if I could find something a bit quicker than I could potentially do while I was playing or if that is just a trait that I have that I can’t fully get rid of.

Karageorghis, C. (2007). Competition anxiety needn’t get you down. Peak Performance, 243, p. 4-7

Part 2

1. Do you tend to be an individual that struggles with stress and anxiety?

I very much struggle with stress and anxiety.  I especially have a problem with it since having a baby, four months ago.  I am the most indecisive person you could possibly meet.  I am scared that I will make the wrong decision and often put off the choice onto others.  I feel “heavy” and extreme empathetic towards others.  I am very forgetful and am feeling rushed.  Lots of times I have to remind myself that I don’t need to be in a hurry during grocery shopping or walking in a parking lot.  All of these are cognitive symptoms of anxiety.  (Karageorghis 2007)  I do experience muscle tension, especially in my traps and shoulders.  I have always bit my fingernails, for as long as I can remember.  These are somatic and behavioral symptoms of anxiety.

1. What are possible factors that influence your arousal, stress, and anxiety status before an event?

I typically wonder who is attending a game, event, or practice.  Back in high school during combines and tournaments I often stressed about looking like a great play in hopes to get recruited by coaches.  I also very much related to the Drive Theory (Zajonc 1965).  I would get “psyched up” for a big game or tournament.  It is all I thought about leading up to it.  I do tend to agree with the Inverted-U Hypothesis though. “The theory is that as arousal is increased then performance improves but only up to a certain point” (Yerkes 1908).  During tournament games where the team we were playing wasn’t known to be that great or if the “mood” was just down within the team, we played that way.  It’s also referred to as playing “flat”.

1. What are strategies that you can apply to reduce stress and anxiety and maintain appropriate arousal levels?

I have used the five-breath technique mentioned in our text before. (Benson 1993)  However, I do not think it works too well for me.  Of the two, the five-breath technique and the Benson’s relaxation response, I feel the Benson’s relaxation response works best for me.  I am not able to respond with “oh well” to too many things but for a moment, for those 10 or 15 minutes, I am able to do so.  Massages also work really well for me! 🙂

Works Cited:

BENSON, H.(1993) The Relaxation Response. In: COLMAN, D. & GURIN , J. (eds.) Mind Body Medicine How To Use Your Mind for Better Health, New York, Consumers Reports Book, p. 125-149  (see http://www.upegroup.com/uploads/1/1/0/4/11040867/relaxation_response.pdf)

KARAGEORGHIS, C. (2007) Competition anxiety needn’t get you down. Peak Performance,  243, p. 4-7

YERKES and DODSON (1908) The relation of strength of stimulus to rapidity of habit  formation. Journal of Neurological Psychology, (1908)

ZAJONC, R. B. (1965) Social Facilitation. Science, 149 (1965), p. 268-274