Building a Positive Outlook

Happiness is something that is strived for, but often the pressure to perform and focus on the result impacts enjoyment and overall experience. Repeatedly athletes and coaches base success and often enjoyment on the results of our performance (e.g., wins and losses).  The competitive nature of sport often leads many to focus more on the negative aspects (i.e., what is not achieved). This is something that has been engrained in our society, and often unrealistically impacts how we measure success and contentment.

Emotional regulation is a key component to managing individual performance. It is not uncommon for an athlete to go through highs and lows throughout their performance. Understanding how to manage adversity and successfully regulate emotions can aide in a better performance (McCarthy, 2011). Some common disruptive negative emotions are competitive anxiety, frustration, and stress. These emotions can cause changes such as rapid heart rate, sweating, and an altered breathing rate. Many of these physical states interfere with optimal athletic performance. Creating a friendly competitive environment that encourages competition as well as creates realistic performance pressures can help make negative emotions and their subsequent physical changes more manageable in actual performance. It creates a sense of familiar understanding for athletes that can then be carried over to actual performance. How you react and push each athlete may be different, but understanding how the athlete’s receive the information and its impact is important. Some may need a more supporting role so developing a support system within the team is crucial early on. Having performance partners (i.e., share goals and experiences) within the team that they feel safe discussing their experience with can make for a better overall experience and create unity.

Contrarily, positive emotions are linked to “subcomponents of performance such as motivation, self-efficacy, and perceived control” (McCarthy, 2011, p.50). How can we inspire athletes to perform at a high level, but also enjoy what they are doing and stay motivated? First, what must change is individual thinking and judgment in what makes an athlete successful. Being able to move past mistakes, slumps, plateaus, and adversity is a valuable skill. Altering a mindset can take work and personal awareness. John Wooden was known for pushing his athletes while never focusing on the result. He developed a unique coaching style that focused on improvement without regard to wins and losses. This kept performance in its raw form. This allows athletes to focus on continuing to build on individual strengths and the significance of work ethic. It is easy to become consumed by records and ignore development and success. Each athlete is unique and may have a different balanced ratio of negative and positive takeaways from their performance that allow them to feel successful and stay motivated. It is important to find, even in the worst performance, a positive that can be taken away. How coaches communicate to their athletes is a strong influencer into how they respond. Both verbal (e.g. word selection, tone, melody, and prosody) and nonverbal communication (e.g. facial expression, body language and posture) can influence how the message is received (Lambrecht, 2014). Failure to understand cues can lead to irritation, poor social interaction, aggression, and feeling misunderstood (Lambrecht, 2014). Coaches with flexibility and awareness of different personalities and learning styles within their athletes are more positively received.

Overall, coaching style, support systems, and emotional regulation can contribute to how athletes feel about themselves and their performance. Forcing ourselves to find one positive in a mistake or performance can help build awareness and focus on positive elements. Taking it back to the basics as to why we do what we do can rekindle our desire to perform. Keeping performance aspects raw and in the present tense and not becoming caught up in the result to rank our performance is fundamental.

References:

Lambrecht, L. (2014). Gender differences in emotion recognition: Impact of sensory modality and emotional category. Cognition & Emotion, 28(3), 452-469.

McCarthy, P. J. (2011). Positive emotion in sport performance: Current status and future directions. International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 4(1), 50-69.

Bouncing Back From Adversity

Every day we are exposed to multiple types and levels of adversity and with each exposure we have to decide how to respond. From an athlete’s perspective, adversity might be stimulated by teammates, opponents, coaches, officials, the environment, or competitive arena. Predictability, having a sense of control, and possessing effective coping strategies are key to successfully overcoming adversity.

Coaches can play an influential role in enhancing an athlete’s ability to feel in control and effectively cope with adversity. Setting realistic expectations and standards for performance can help athletes better gauge their performance. How coaches react and view adversity can either add or take away excess pressure and stress. This response may also trickle down to how teammates support and respond to pressure and adversity. If a coach is very negative than athletes may be very critical of one another in their interactions: no one wants to be viewed as the weak link.

Athletes often experience the fear of failure, which can cause an athlete to become distracted, stressed, and exhibit counterproductive behavior during competition (Petitpas, 2008). This fear can cause an athlete to experience stress, anxiety, and exhibit avoidance behavior in fear of a negative response. This type of response limits an athlete’s performance, becomes worse over time, and leads to a self-fulfilling prophecy—what the athlete fears most becomes reality.

How can we increase a sense of control and evoke a positive coping response to adversity? One way is through replicating an environment with stimuli faced in competition. This allows athletes to receive exposure to potential negative consequences and work through them. Frustration and failure may occur, but enables an athlete to manage these emotions (Bell, Hardy & Beattie, 2013). Replication may be adding a consequence or additional pressure that creates a competitive level of stress. If one team wins they receive a bonus (e.g. break) whereas the losing team does pushups before their break. This type of environment allows athletes to be exposed through simulation training, which aides in desensitizing them from their fear of failure (Bell, et al., 2013).

Setting a goal each training or game can enhance focus and motivation to push through adversity. These goals must be specific, realistic, and challenging. Goals provide direction and can increase a sense of control. Saying these goals out load can increase the desire to achieve them and accountability. Ex: not diving in by keeping a defensive stance and watching the ball. Pairing this with learning how to breathe in stressful situations can help manage anxiety levels as well as provide clarity and focus. Taking (e.g. three) deep breathes with an emphasis on a longer exhale can slow down the body’s natural fight or flight response often exhibited when experiencing higher levels of stress. This helps an athlete refocus themselves and potentially feel more in control.

Coaches are strong influencers and have the ability to enhance and support an athlete’s sense of control and ability to cope under pressure. Getting creative with drills and tactics to expose athletes to competitive performance levels of pressure will benefit an athlete’s response to pressure and management of their fear of failure. Implementing goal setting into training and competitive tactics as well as awareness through deep breathing can aide in a more positive response to adversity.

References:

Bell, J. J., Hardy, L., & Beattie, S. (2013). Enhancing mental toughness and performance under pressure in elite young cricketers: A 2-year longitudinal intervention. Sport, Exercise, And Performance Psychology, 2(4), 281-297

Petitpas, A. (2008). Fear of failure in the context of competitive sport: A commentary. International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching, 3(2), 193-194.

Creating Psychologically Resilient Athletes

Possessing a mental edge can take athletes to the next level, but what separates good from great athletes is their ability to bounce back. Mistakes are inevitable, but great athletes are able to recover and bounce back because they have built up their psychological resilience. Psychological resilience encompasses ‘‘the capacity of individuals to cope successfully with significant change, adversity or risk’’ (Lee & Cranford, 2008, p. 213). In a sporting context this entails the ability of an athlete to successfully overcome adversity and maintain a stable mindset while performing at a consistently high level. Coaches can play an influential role in supporting their athletes to become psychologically resilient and to positively adapt when facing adversity.

Athletes will face various forms of adversity. Some may range from a minor level (e.g. making a bad pass) to a more severe level (i.e. suffering a long-term injury). Adversity is typically associated with the demands of competitive performance, preparation, level of competition, and outside stressors (Sarkar & Fletcher, 2013). These experiences can impact the level of stress an athlete undergoes as well as create unnecessary pressure or distractions. This makes it difficult to perform at a constant high level if they are not psychologically resilient and understand how to positively adapt.
Evoking positive qualities out of athletes can aid in their ability to adapt. Helping athletes to remain optimistic, persevere, feel in control, exhibit self-efficacy and seek social support encourages positive adaptation and thus become more resilient (Sarkar & Fletcher, 2013). How do we promote these characteristics? Sometimes time is a factor so making sure that there is a balance between corrections and encouragement is key. Corrections should never done in a belittling way and always provide reassurance. Coaches should make sure their corrections are clear so that the athlete can make them. For example telling an athlete to “stop diving in” is less beneficial than saying “make sure that you focus on the ball, keep your defensive stance, and wait for the opponent to make a mistake and then tackle.” Often we focus so much on the negative elements of performance and neglect to find the positive or learning outcome in the situation. This may be finding one positive takeaway from the situation (i.e. a loss; mistake). For example, how the team persevered until the final whistle and left it all on the field.

Creating drills and specific environments that challenge and prepare athletes for performance under pressure can aide in the development of psychological resilience. Preparation through creating potential distractions or types of environments (i.e. time of day, weather, uniforms) can aide in positive adaptation. Creating a pre-performance ritual that encourages athletes to mentally switch gears from a practice to competitive mindset may enhance mental performance as well. This may be performing a specific warm up and having a certain amount of free time to individually prepare before team preparation. The final significant element is creating social support through team building from the top to the bottom. Overall, you are only as strong as the weakest link and creating a positive and supportive environment will help everyone to work through adversity and positively adapt. These are some of the ways to build up psychological resilience in athletes and teams.

References:

Fletcher, D., & Sarkar, M. (2013). Psychological resilience: A review and critique of definitions, concepts, and theory. European Psychologist, 18(1), 12-23.

Sarkar, M., & Fletcher, D. (2013). How should we measure psychological resilience in sport performers? Measurement in Physical Education and Exercise Science, 17(4), 264-280.

Welcome to M.B.C. OC

Hello and welcome to the first blog post for Mind Body Connection OC. This will be a place where thoughts, ideas, news, and resources around the world of sports and mental skills will be shared. I am excited to begin the following blog posts with a three piece series around resiliency. I hope everyone enjoys and I look forward to all of the comments and thoughts.
Au revoir!
Lauren
“The secret of getting ahead is getting started.” –Mark Twain

6-7 months

Hi Everyone! It took a while to complete and update this post. After hitting the 7 month mark I was a little over halfway through my recovery and it has been a busy few months since my last post. I recently went to my friend's wedding and was able to wear wedged heels, which was definitely an experience at about 7 months. Although, I came prepared and had a backup (flat tennis shoes), I was able to last a lot longer than I had originally thought. It is the mini milestones that make the most difference in the rehabilitation process and make you feel the most normal. 

At this point in my recovery, I also decided to stop going to physical therapy because I was not able to really progress with the activities and have been able to do more on my own and keep a better schedule. Also, I personally didn't feel that I was receiving the type of encouraging support from my therapist that I needed and didn't see the benefits in spending money for something that I was more motivated to do on my own. Sometimes there is a disconnection between an understanding of the emotions and frustrations involved within the rehabilitation process. Some days you make really great progression and other days you plateau or feel like you are going backwards. Everyone has their good and bad days, but working through them and understanding the process and that you are not alone can help. Having a support system that understands and helps you within the various stages of recovery is important. My therapist would sometimes become frustrated with what my orthopedist would release me to do and often made me feel like I wasn't progressing fast enough. This didn't always happen and I had a great relationship with my therapist, but as with any relationship there can be some bumps in the road or a different opinion or viewpoint. I trust my orthopedist and have been going to him for a long time and know that he is one of the best in the area and is highly recommended for this type of injury. 

This overall disconnect would create an awkwardness between my own competitive athletic thoughts and what my body was physically capable and telling me to do. The mind and body disconnect is one of the hardest challenges when it comes to injury recovery. My physical therapy progress overall was beneficial and provided me with what I needed to recover and rebuild my strength, confidence, and flexibility. I have been going there for a very long time, but there always comes a time when you need to break away from the crutch and build up your own strength. Stepping away from the crutches is one of the hardest things to do.

Now that I was on my own schedule, I was able to start swimming more. I swam a couple times a week during the summer, which was a nice change of pace as well as how therapeutic the water can be. I honestly was really nervous how that would turn out, but surprisingly was in better form than I could have possibly imagined. Having been a competitive swimmer it was hard to set a realistic expectation as to what to expect with form and the amount of laps that I would be able to do. I started out small with only swimming what would be normally a light warm up of smaller lap sets (ex: 15...20...25 maximum) and built up from there. The only thing that is hard is moderation and not being able to swim really any other stroke than freestyle. I was able to gauge my progression through how strong my kick was as well as building up to swimming breaststroke and how that felt. In the pool I also did some of my leg strengthening exercises and stretches. The pool has always been almost a source of meditation for me, especially when it is empty so being able to start utilizing this resource really helped in my physical and mental recovery. 

“Failure will never overtake me if my determination to succeed is strong enough.”-Og Mandino

Until we speak again! Ciao

5 months...

Hi Everyone! I know it has been a while since my last post. I am officially 5 months into my recovery. Although, I haven't reached the halfway point yet, I feel much stronger and have felt some gains in my strength, mobility, and balance. It's easy to jump ahead, but looking back really helps to set up a mental picture as to how far I have come on this journey. Mentally, I feel a little bit more consistent with less road blocks based on the fact that I can do more, but by no means feel like I can do everything that I want to do. Missing out because of injuries is something that can be frustrating. Currently, I have a time limit as to how much walking and standing that I can do before my leg becomes fatigued and starts hurting. Knowing limits and setting realistic expectations has been something I have been trying to navigate. Balancing between strengthening and pushing yourself too hard so that you need to take time off is where I am at currently. 


It seems like each stage of recovery poses its new challenges as well as mental and emotional barriers to overcome. Trusting your strength and ability in trying new challenging exercises is one. I recently have taken off my boot, which in ways has served as a crutch. Honestly, it was really terrifying and the fear of re-injuring myself was prevalent. I know that everyone at physical therapy is encouraging, but it is something that I can only overcome myself. The fear that you could end up re-injuring yourself is sometimes strong and prohibits us from pushing to the next level through wavering trust in ourselves that we are ready to perform the task at hand. It's a weird feeling moving or performing exercises that you haven't done in months. Especially with this particular injury, you can feel the tendon coming alive and it gives off a weird tingly sensation. Although, once you are able to overcome the different obstacles faced in recovery, it is truly a freeing and rewarding feeling being able to feel your strength coming back and regaining more independence. Letting go is definitely the hard part, but always proves to be worth it. It still amazes me how powerful our minds and bodies are and how much the link between the two influences our performance.

To change the subject, from experience it seems like negative things come in pairs. At least that is what this particular journey has felt like. Throughout this process, it has been difficult emotionally because I lost my dog Bella, who has been with me for many experiences, milestones, and wonderful memories. I miss Bella everyday and recently rescued another dog named Tank. Tank has brought some new life and positive energy into the house, but has been a bit of a handful as well, which has made it difficult to write. Blending two dogs together definitely takes time, patience, and awareness. Now that Tank has settled in his new surroundings and with Rocko and I have made some strides in my recovery, it felt like the right time to post. It is amazing how much our pets can influence our emotions and journeys. This new energy has provided me with another level of support and love that makes me smile and laugh everyday. Being able to keep up with both my dogs is a goal that I am striving to achieve. :) Finding something to alter your mindset and gain new perspective towards your journey can be helpful and rewarding.

"The ladder of success must be set upon something solid before you can start to climb." 

Until we speak again! Ciao

The three month mark

Hi Everyone, 
Some time has passed since my last post and I will attempt to be more diligent in sharing my journey. Honestly, this last month has been a bit of a mental and emotional hurdle for me. That being said, it is something that many people go through when facing a serious injury and going through the recovery process. I feel that it is important for me to share my recovery to help those who have gone, are going through, or will go through their own journey to recovery, to not feel alone. 

Starting at the beginning, I was told in my last orthopedic appointment that I am still really restricted in movements, limited in what I can do, and that my foot will still be sensitive to swelling so I need to rest. This was a bit of a jolt and frustrating moment for me to mentally digest. I am not sure where the expectations stem from, but it seems like you come to a point when you may be mentally ready to do more, but physically unable to perform. It's part of that disconnect between the mind and body that comes into play when you suffer an injury. Your mind expects to be able to function a certain way and your body either physically blocks that or is unable to perform due to the injury. This I feel is where a lot of the frustration stems from; at least for me personally going from extremely active to severely limited is challenging. I can feel my masters degree in sport psychology kicking in and telling me to set SMART goals and changing my negative thoughts to more productive positive dialogue. Definitely feels like that saying "practice what you preach," which can be challenging. It is a day to day battle that I go through and some days are better than others. When you find yourself missing out or not being able to do certain things because of the injury, it can be very upsetting and lonely.The struggle is real and what has sometimes helped me is thinking back to when I first came out of surgery and my limitations and where I am at now. Having a sense of hope or faith that things will return to normal and that I will come out stronger in the end. Although it is natural for hope to dwindle at times.

On a side note, I did however receive news that I could start getting off of my crutches, but still must have the boot on when I sleep and if I am moving around. At least there was some news that felt like I was gaining a little more independence and normalcy. I was not really expecting the challenge that came with this new territory or freedom. Needless to say smooth or easy is not what I would call this transition. My pt took my crutches and was like "okay, walk." I could feel my nerves perk up and fear set in. How do you walk again? I then was given back my crutches to walk with, which was a relief, but still a challenge. Testing out and relearning how to walk is no easy task. All eyes are on you and the focus kicks in as you try to sort it out. Although you receive encouragement about how great it was, you know in reality it was far from smooth, great, or a comfortable stride. Mine personally looked like a gangsta limp with a slide and was far from comfortable as I could feel the pressure in my heel and a weird sensation (like your foots asleep) from my knee to my ankle. I experimented with my walk a couple of weeks later at an usually not so busy Costco and lasted about 20 minutes before ending up on a bench next to a few new friends that came and went. My ego was a little bit hurt that I couldn't physically keep up with a one stop normal part of my routine. 

Overall, this past month I have progressed and challenged myself to walk around the house without my crutches, but am not at a point yet where I can last for a long enough time to go without them in public. This limitation still exists after a month of trying to build up stamina and strength with my current limitations. There have been some casualties in the process. Some eggs have been broken, salad dropped, creamer and smoothie spills, and it has become a bit of a war zone in the pantry. This definitely can be a mood killer because now clean up is its own work out and struggle. No one likes to clean up more then they have to on a daily basis, especially when they are physically limited. That's when the creativity kicks in. Although, I am happy to report that there have been no casualties in the last week! My next appointment is coming up and I am hoping that I will be given the freedom to take the wedge out of my boot and bump up the intensity of my physical exercises. I feel stronger and more confident than I did at the beginning of March, so I feel like I have made some progress. Keep your fingers crossed! 

My final thought is to know that you are not alone and the struggle is real, but you always come out stronger in the end.

“Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.”
― Mahatma Gandhi

Until we speak again! Ciao