How Your Mental Health Affects Your Performance
We are all told, “live your life to the fullest”; I am here to do just that. Mental Health of Athletes in Relation to Performance serves as a vessel to project my passions, and clue in my loyal readers as to what inspires me in this crazy world. So, sit back, relax, and read on.
Perform Better
Strong Mind and Body
Welcome to Mental Health of Athletes in Relation to Performance, my very own passion project filled with unique and engaging content. Explore my site and all that I have to offer; perhaps this will ignite your own passions as well.
How Mental Health can Negatively/Positively Impact Sports Performance
My many years of research have allowed me to break down the specifics of how mental health can directly impact athletic performance. If an athlete has a very positive mental state, one can excel greatly in their sports career. They are able to move through adversity easier as well as get the most out of their training sessions. They can also handle pressure better in pivotal moments and stressful situations on the big stage. Those with a less than great mental health state tend to struggle with their short and long-term athletic performance. They do not last long in their training sessions and give up sooner than others. They cannot handle pressure that well in “high-stake” situations or be able to make large, positive jumps in their career due to their mental health breaking down easily.
Sport-Related Anxiety
"I don't think you're human if you don't get nervous" ~Sydney Crosby
Defined as "an unpleasant psychological state in reaction to perceived stress concerning the performance of a task under pressure"(Ford et al., 2017), anxiety is experienced in all athletes of all levels, not just professionals. Anxiety is often a response to a situation where the athlete knows their skills are being evaluated. Sport psychology researchers have also determined that interpersonal emotion regulation can have an affect on not just the athlete, but can affect the emotions of their team as well. It would be important to consider the actions of those around them (coaches, parents, staff, even opponents) before, during, or after competition.
References
Martin, D. (2020, November 13). How does mental health affect athletes? Mental Performance Trainer for Professional Athletes. Retrieved November 30, 2021, from https://www.donovanmentalperformance.com/how-does-mental-health-affect-athletes.
Ford, J. L., Ildefonso, K., Jones, M. L., & Aryinen-Barrow, M. (2017, October 27). Sport-related anxiety: Current insights: OAJSM. Open Access Journal of Sports Medicine. Retrieved December 3, 2021, from https://www.dovepress.com/sport-related-anxiety-current-insights-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-OAJSM.
Tamminen, K. A., Kim, J., Danyluck, C., McEwen, C. E., Wagstaff, C. R. D., & Wolf, S. A. (2021, August 5). The effect of self- and interpersonal emotion regulation on athletes’ anxiety and goal achievement in competition. Psychology of Sport and Exercise. Retrieved December 3, 2021, from https://www-sciencedirect-com.ezproxy.library.unlv.edu/science/article/pii/S1054139X14002523.