Easy as ABC? The art of self-regulation

“It’s ok to have butterflies, just get them flying in formation” Francisco Lopez

I understand it’s been a while since my last post, and a lot has happened in that space of time. I’ve graduated University with a 1st class degree in sport and exercise psychology, started my masters (Msc) and I am the UK brand ambassador for Advanced Mental Coaching so hopefully the future is looking bright. In the meantime, I thought I’d talk about the concept of self-regulation and ways to master it.

Self-regulation is a skill which is very prevalent in individual sports such as Golf or tennis however it can be used across the whole of the sporting spectrum.

Think of the last time you felt nervous or uncomfortable in a sporting scenario?

What was your reaction… increased heart rate, sweaty palms, confused or dry-mouthed?

Those are negative responses, aren’t they?

Well in honesty they are neither negative nor positive, this bodily reaction is an instinctive evolutionary response to a stressor, the big influence is our perception. Ever since we were little we’ve been brought up to see stress as a negative response however it we can change the way stress is viewed this can influences our physiological response.

“Stress can actually be our accomplice in performance, we’ve just been told it’s the enemy”

ABC

It’s never as easy as ABC, but it’s a good way to remember it. Self-regulation is a technique/ skill which can be used by the individual in stressful situations to diminish its effects.

A- Relax

Relax, this is very important to understand, normally when the stressful situation occurs it sends the individual into a state of panic. STOP, take a step back and THINK about what you doing. Is panicking going to be helpful for my performance?

Breathe, there is a technique called progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) which is very effective, slowly working through regions of muscle tensing and relaxing in a sequential manner. Centering is also an effective technique as this promotes self-awareness of the stressful situation essentially managing your thoughts so that you can engage in positive thoughts. (If interested, please message me and I can email example PMR and centering scripts).

B- Activate

Within life, not just sports the stressful situation/ experience can happen hours, weeks even months before the actual event (e.g. driving test or a big interview), the mere thought of the event can initiate a stress response. If this is the case, it’s time to activate our coping strategies.

Imagery Is a widely researched and published area within sports psychology, there is a reason for this, if used correctly imagery is very effective. Coping imagery involves creating an imagery script whereby they visualise themselves within the stressful situation this allows them to develop a variety of solutions and methods of dealing with the issue in an artificial setting. Within any imagery script it’s important to be specific in every element to make it as realistic for the individual as possible (what’s the weather like, what is your opponent wearing, shape of the green etc.)

Music is another effective method; I’m forever watching super Sunday on sky sports and seeing footballers stepping off the team coach with their headphones on. Music is a good way of diverting attention away from the stressful situation, therefore create yourself a psych up playlist. My recommendation Fort Minor ‘remember the name’.

C- Re-interpret

This last one is probably the hardest, attempting to shift the thought of stress from negative to positive, this is known as reappraisal. I remember my lecturer telling me about this study from Jamieson and I’m not kidding something just clicked… Jamieson conducted a study using Harvard undergraduates taking examinations. In the study students were taught the see their stress response as a positive, as a sign that their body is preparing them and rising to the occasion so they should. Thus, the students exhibited only positive physiological responses outlining the importance of perception, it’s your belief about stress which initiates the response whether it positive or negative. THINK ABOUT THIS next time you’re in a stressful situation, I like to use this statement below…

“Your body is trying to help you, not trip you up”

Remember it’s never as easy as ABC but it will be better!

#TeeUpWithPsychology

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Twitter- @sport_psyched95 or @lylekirkham

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