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11/1/2015 7:54:25 AM
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Without watching the video yet...
If you're a naturally anxious person or a person who struggles with pressure is their hope for you? I ask because my cousin deals with anxiety and he gets ticked that he can't complete a lot of things with me. He just ends of quitting due to frustration.
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Great question, and the answer is that there is absolutely hope. Clinical anxiety disorders are often treated with a combination of medication and cognitive behavioral therapy administered by professionals. However, performance psychology techniques can supplement these clinical treatments and work synergistically with them. The poster below mentioned breathing techniques which can be a very valuable tool to not only counter the physiological impact of the "fight or flight" response associated with anxiety, but also to help refocus the mind on the present target rather than past frustrations or failure. Deliberate breathing is a skill that with practice and when done properly can facilitate these benefits. Hope this helps you and your cousin!
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Thanks for the response. I can't relate to him and therefore I don't know how to get him to relax. It's weird because overall he is totally fine. It just seems like as soon as he messes up or pressure comes he somewhat freaks out. He has tried to explain it, but to me it just doesn't make sense. He's not on medication, I think his doctor suggested techniques, probably the breathing that was mentioned.
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Pressure and "messing up" are interpretations, thoughts essentially. Perhaps helping him understand that this is a game used for entertainment purposes might help him enjoy it more. I know people want to play well and win but thinking about your play time as opportunities for fun and continual incremental progress should help. Not everyone will be the best and even those that are still make mistakes and have bad games.
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Yes, I have told him so many times just chill everybody dies. He just says stuff like "I can't just chill, you don't understand what it's like". If we're in a fireteam we don't discuss it, it's brought up in private. I think he wants to just have fun, but once things get a bit intense he is unable to relax.
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Unfortunately, for people who suffer from clinical anxiety disorders it is difficult for them to "just chill." Typically rather than saying things like "just chill", "relax", and "calm down" it is more beneficial to provide them with more rational interpretations of their thoughts/situations and relaxation behaviors. Breathing, routines, and visualization are all examples of these types of behaviors.
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That's great advice and something I will try. I never looked at it in that way, it's just natural for us to look at things from how we understand things ourselves. I really need to change my thinking because I am so opposite him. I might be abnormally calm. Lol
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Edited by girflush: 11/1/2015 6:14:00 PMWhen things get intense you aren't supposed to relax. If a bear starts chasing you and you just "chill and relax" you will get eaten. But the guy who "panicked and ran" might live. An "anxiety response" is totally healthy. Oh and before any neckbeards come in here saying how you should play dead if a bear comes after you rather than run blah blah yes everyone knows that but you get the point..
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That's not true. When things get intense you need to be able to focus and think quickly. When everything speeds up and the stakes are higher getting anxious is the last thing you want to do. I have this ability to always stay calm, if I was like my cousin I would never be able to play anything competitive.
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Edited by girflush: 11/1/2015 6:43:24 PMActually it is definitely true. Anxiety is just increased heart rate and blood pressure. These happen to prepare the body to fight or flight. If they don't happen then your body wont be prepared to fight or flight in response to whatever threat is there. And if you are not physiologically prepared to fight or flight then you do nothing, and get eaten.. You probably stay calm because when your sympathetic nervous system activates, you use that energy by acting in some manner. Anxiety occurs when the sympathetic system activates but you do nothing. And then that energy that was supposed to be utilized to fight or flight has no where to go. That's when anxiety occurs. But if that energy is used in some manner instead, then the anxiety goes away. You hear sports guys saying stuff like this all the time. Saying how they were nervous before the game but as soon as they took the first hit or whatever it instantly went away. Same idea...Because they used the fight or flight response as it was intended..This is what guys mean when they say they "embrace the pressure or thrive under pressure". They know how to use the flight or flight response to their advantage.. Its like how you get guys running from the cops even though they are later found to have done nothing against the law at all. It's because they percieve the detainment as being a threat and their sympathetic system activates but since they are being detained they can't go anywhere that fight or flight energy just builds up as "anxiety" and eventually it builds so much they do act and take off, even though they are innocent... Basically the cure for anxiety is to continually expose yourself to whatever threat exists, within reason. You don't want to expose yourself to a rabid hungry bear.. But anyway.. Its like going to school. On the first day of class, kids are anxious. But after they are exposed to school for awhile they no longer percieve school to be a threat and come mid year they are dozing off in school even..because they have exposed themselves to it enough were the brain no longer percieves it as a threat..
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Very true, the only difference in the bear situation and the destiny example is the accuracy of the danger interpretation. The fight or flight response is an accurate one for an encounter with a dangerous bear situation, the crucible however is not a dangerous situation where the sympathetic nervous system is necessary to fight or flee. Unfortunately some people allow their mind to create danger when it does not exist.
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Edited by girflush: 11/1/2015 6:56:07 PMIndeed. It's like public speaking. It's not a life threatening situation but yet I've read studies done that say the vast majority of people are far more scared of public speaking than they are of dying..But people who continually expose themselves to public speaking, like teachers, quickly get accustomed to the situation..
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Yeah, among other therapeutic techniques, exposure when done properly can help lessen the prevalence of unhelpful anxiety. It's a tricky process though and not something to be attempted without proper guidance.
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Hey man let your cousin know he can do anything anyone else can. I've suffered with anxiety for the past five years. However I went flawless two nights ago. I'm very good at most pc competitive games. Inform him when he feels any anxious build up to just breathe in and out as well as to try to ignore it and focus on what he's doing rather than what his body is trying to do. Because his heart won't stop and his lungs won't either. Gl.
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Great advice! Glad to hear breathing techniques have helped you in the past. I'm sure with more practice and repetitions you've seen the benefits increase. Keep up the good work.
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Definitely, at first it seemed like they weren't working. After awhile I noticed significant increases in how much focusing on your pace of breathing and naturally calming deep breaths can make the anxiety subside almost instantly. However, it's a combination of mentally ignoring the anxiety and reminding myself it will pass and it can't hurt me.
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Happy to hear it, great advice for others. Thanks for sharing your experience. You never know who reads these forum posts and can benefit from it.
