Anxiety, arousal, stress, and coping

anxiety

a negative form of arousal that can impact performance, results in self-esteem, uncertainty, and insecurity

levels of anxiety

• high: fear, worry, sadness (negative)

• low: excitement, desire, happiness (positive)

drive theory

a linear relationship, as arousal gets higher, performance becomes higher/better

inverted U theory

when there is improvement on arousal and performance until it hits an optimal point, then as arousal keeps getting higher, performance declines

catastrophe theory

when higher cognitive and somatic anxiety drops in performance, (graph goes super high quickly, and drops quickly)

individual zone of optimal functioning (IZOF)

when an individuals psychologicla arousal is optimal for their best performance for a specific task

cognitive anxiety

psychological aspects, mind

• self doubt, negative scenarios in head

somatic anxiety

physiological components, body

• heart racing, muscle tensing, sweating

impact of nervous system on the arousal level of an individual

it controls the “fight or flight” response that prepares the body for high intensity work, making the arousal level higher with higher performance.

methods to measure anxiety

• subjective: relys on individual input, self-reporting. ex: anxiety test, sport comps, etc

• objective: tracks physiological changes. ex: monitors blood pressure, heart rate, and skin responses (sweat/moisture)

factors that impact reliability to measure anxiety

honesty, time of day, nutrition, and hydration levels of patients

define “stressor”

any factor that causes psychological strain

how can a stressor have a positive impact in an individual

it can be exciting, and positively activate the nervous system

3 coping strategies

• problem-focused

• emotion-focused

• avoidance-focused

problem-focused

strategies that aim to change the stressor

• ex: removing stress source, gathering info on it, trying to improve and change it

emotion-focused

strategies that do not change the stressor but instead regulates the individuals emotional response to it.

• ex: self-talk, seeking emotional support, and relaxation techniques: box breathing, PMR, biofeedback training

avoidance-focused

strategies that attempt to create distance from the stressor

• ex: ignoring the problem, procrastinating, quitting the activity

examples of self-talk

recalling positive experiences, or doing the following: Stop, Take a breath, Observe, Proceed

possible negative impacts of unintentional self talk

can ruin confidence, and focus, doubting agility, and getting into their head.

possible positive impacts of relaxation skills on the body

lowers heart rate, breathing rate and anxiety. Increases focus and relaxes muscles.

deep breathing exercises

taking a deep breath, holding it for a short time, then exhaling

progressive muscle relaxation

tensing muscle group for a short time, then quickly releasing them

biofeedback training

the use of monitoring devices to help learn how to control involunatry body functions like heart rate, breathing and muscle tension

what is cognitive anxiety caused by?

stressors