Experts point out performance anxieties as fire alarms and even though, they appear to exist outside us, they are in fact the projections of something that had happened to us during our childhood days. Here are some tips on how to fight against these past recollections, in such a way that they can be prevented from taking influence of our present lives:
Loss of focus:
Whenever you are in the starting line at a running race or with the ball to begin your serve at the tennis tournament or when you are involved in any other gaming session, what is your feeling? If you are like many other players, your effort to protect yourself from getting lost in the game or race, might make you lose sight. In other words, you might lose focus and it will happen even without your knowledge.
Both success and failure are fraught:
Both the fear of success and failure will make you feel scared. Running faster is generally induced by fear like running slower. In most of the cases, you will become unaware of these thoughts influencing your mind. Even some self-defeating behaviors like inattentiveness to running, poor pacing and excessive warm-ups are outcomes of these influences. These behaviors happen due to performance anxiety and they are the outcome of fear of loss, abandonment, rejection.
Key to managing performance anxiety:
Controlling your emotional thermostat is the key to manage this type of performance anxiety. When this is done, you can prevent the requirement to defend against it in a self-defeating manner. Remember to stay calm and this does not mean that you will have to deploy self-defeating techniques in your endeavor towards calming yourself. In this state, where you are focused and ready, you can understand the distinction between what is outside and inside you and what has already happened against what may occur in the future. When you are focused, you can understand the difference between the original and perceived emotional risks.
Performance anxiety mediation:
Experts say that the two effective strategies for mediating performance anxiety are guided imagery and meditation. Remembering the past can act as the creative source of anxiety, while imaging about the future can dismantle them. In other words, you can use your imagination as a means of serving your requirements.
Mental game:
One of the effective ways to combat performance anxiety is to play mental game. Many golfers were successful, just because, they played mentally and did some mental calculations to win over the other players. When you ask successful players, they would suggest you to give yourself positive suggestions and to tune out your negative thoughts. Full trust in yourself can bring success and can ward off anxiety due to fear for failure. Here is how to prepare yourself for the mind game:
A few weeks before a crucial match, try to find time for sitting comfortably for about 15-20 minutes every second day. Take a separate room during this time and sit comfortably in a chair with your eyes closed. Keep your arms and legs crossed and think your stomach as a brightly colored balloon. Then, slowly breathe in and breath out visualizing your stomach going up and down. Here, you can use breathing as the focus point. When your mind begins to wander, bring it down to watch the breath. This practice will bring down your anxiety to a great extent.
Successfully combat your performance anxiety with the tips given above and enjoy your sport.