| Dealing with Stress in Figure
Skating Stress can have both positive and negative effects on our mental and physical performance. The following articles will provide a perspective of the issues related to stress issues that skaters, parents, and coaches commonly experience on a daily basis. Personal and Public Boundaries Some boundaries are very real and tangible, like fences with locked gates that secure property. Intangible boundaries are inside you. They determine what you do and don't do. They also establish what you will tolerate others doing to you. The Role Our Thoughts and Emotions Play in our Actions There is both positive and negative energy associated with our emotions. We transmit an invisible but palpable energy to others that reflects our mental and physical health. Traits of a World Class Athlete The characteristics shared by elite and world-class figure skater are: • In order to be the best, you
first must select a discipline you desire to excel —
Profiling a Competitor “Competitors” are those individuals who strive to make themselves better, support teammates efforts to improve, and work to towards improving the sport of figure skating. Do you Approach Testing or Competing with Trepidation? Many individuals develop “cold feet” or second-guess their decision to test or compete. It is common for this individual to put off making a decision until the cutoff date has passed. Dealing with Daily Stressful Situations It is important that every individual be proactive and become an active participant in making the decisions that affect your life. Accepting responsibility for making decisions allows you to reject/avoid stressful situations and helps you to accept accountability for your decisions. Dealing with Obsessive Behavior Dealing with an individual that be-comes obsessed by negative thoughts on a regular basis requires understanding of the problem and providing a positive sup-port system. It should not be ignored. It is not something that they will out grow. Identifying Negative Thinking Some common forms of negative selfdoubting include: • Filtering
• Personalizing • Catastrophizing • Polarizing We are vulnerable to stress caused by problems and complication in our lives. Unfortnately it is impossible to control other people’s behaviors. However, we can deal with our moods and shift the momentum from negative to positive. The Role of Positive Thinking in Stress Management Is your glass half-empty or half-full? How you answer this age-old question about positive thinking may reflect your outlook on life, your attitude toward yourself, and whether you're optimistic or pessimistic. How To Use Imagery and Self-Hypnosis for Sports What is Imagery? Imagery, sometimes called guided imagery, visualization, mental rehearsal, or self-hypnosis, refers to specific techniques often used by psychologists to help individuals visualize or mentally rehearse a desired event. Improve Your Sport Performance with Visualization Techniques Visualization can assist in improving athletic performance. Visualization is also refered to as guided imagery, mental rehearsal, mediation, and a variety of other things - no matter the term, the basic techniques and concepts are the same. Are you ready to take your performance to the next level? The essential goal is to establish a method and an approach that fuels success. At the center of this concept is strengthening an athlete's inner belief that they can achieve greatness. Only when change is created at the subconscious level does a real trans-formation and athletes can effectively program their minds for success, release old ideas of limitation, and experience rapid, positive, and lasting results. |