What Causes Stress In Athletes? : For any elite or professional athlete, sport isn’t just a career. To get to a serious, competitive level in sport, years of training, nurture, and progress are just part of the necessary foundations.
But behind the glamour on the screen, the pressures placed on athletes can be incredibly difficult to manage. In the following guide, we’ve outlined just a few of the main stressors for competitive athletes – but if you need support now, head over to a specialist charity like Sporting Wellness.
What can cause stress for athletes?
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Building self-confidence
Performance is all about self-belief in overall ability to succeed.
Confidence is key in sport and, combined with skill and talent, can be enough to produce exceptional performances. If athletes work too narrowly in their comfort zones, opportunities for further achievements and breaking new boundaries could be limited.
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Maintaining fitness and recovery
Keeping in prime physical condition can take a toll emotionally. Keeping fit requires motivation, discipline, and routine – along with making sure to eat a balanced diet that supports the nutritional and calorific demands of physical activity.
For athletes who’ve been unlucky enough to suffer from a serious injury, the consequences could take years to recover from. In some cases, they might’ve needed to make a hospital negligence claim on the back of mistakes made by medical staff – which can be extremely stressful.
The effort it takes to stay race-ready should never be underestimated.
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Trusting the process
When it comes to training as a professional athlete, keeping the mental fortitude to trust yourself and others supporting you is invaluable. When it comes to the former, athletes might need to check in with their coach or a therapist to keep self-critical thoughts at bay.
From over-analysing their performance in just one game or questioning their strategies and tactics, overthinking could hinder genuine results.
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Managing expectations
The pressure is always on in a competitive environment, but it’s important to make sure that it stays at a healthy level. Comparisons to other athletes and judging their performances can quickly turn into an unhealthy habit.
Furthermore, some athletes and their coaches put a lot of weight on expectations – with a view to fostering high levels of self-belief. However, if an athlete experiences a dip in their performance or successive failures, too many expectations can be harmful.
It’s important to manage expectations with a realistic yet ambitious approach.
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Seeking approval
Some sports revolve around popularity and reputation. Athletes must still function while maintaining a serious, disciplined attitude – but this comes with worrying excessively about results, outcomes, and social approval.
Because athletes can be concerned about falling short of their standards, fear of failure is frequently linked to the need for social acceptance. How much pressure players place on themselves to succeed is directly influenced by how much approval they receive.
Conclusion
There are several mental challenges that athletes face: notably managing expectations and pressure. Serious injuries or medical procedures can prompt prolonged recoveries, so it’s important to appreciate the rigid determination of dedicated athletes.
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What Causes Stress In Athletes? A Quick Guide To The Emotional Pressures On Professional Athletes
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