Power Pose to Victory

Recently a college athlete asked me to comment on her Swimming World article covering an intriguing TED talk about body language.

Social psychologist Amy Cuddy asks if changing your body language can affect how you feel inside. Do you think that’s possible? Dr. Cuddy’s research indicates it is!

She has found that holding “power poses” like the one below for two minutes significantly increases testosterone (thereby increasing feelings of power) and significantly decreases cortisol (thereby decreasing feelings of stress).

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I encourage you to check out this fascinating TED talk. Holding power poses can help you perform at your best in school, sport, and life!

Taking Care of Ourselves After Tragedy

The OSU athletic family lost one of its own when wrestler and football player Kosta Karageorge died. I did not have the pleasure of knowing Kosta, but I hear he was quite popular among his teammates. The fact that he joined the football team after finishing his wrestling eligibility shows what a competitor he was.

Many of us are in shock. We may not know how to feel or what to do. In light of this distress, I want to share some information and resources with you.

While there is no correct way to respond, here are some common emotional reactions to grief and trauma:

Shock/denial/numbness/a sense of unreality

Anxiety and fear, which may relate to insomnia and feeling on edge

Second guessing ourselves (“If only I’d…”)

Sadness and loss

Anger

Loneliness

Questions about why this happened

While we don’t have the official cause of death, preliminary reports indicate that Kosta committed suicide. It’s difficult to understand suicide. Sometimes individuals experience such deep depression that they feel hopeless about things ever improving. It’s tragic they don’t realize that feelings are temporary, and that their depression will lift over time.

Student-athletes are at a greater risk for suicide due to a culture that celebrates toughness and denigrates vulnerability. Athletes have to be warriors in their sport, but it’s important to be real when you walk off the field. It’s okay to feel the gamut of emotions. It’s fine to cry. It’s also fine not to cry. Accept your feelings and understand that each person has a unique way of grieving. There is no “right” way to grieve.

If you are distressed or having suicidal thoughts or urges, please tell someone (parent, sibling, teammate, coach, athletic trainer, physician, psychologist, strength coach, faculty, dietitian, etc.) Telling someone is the first step to feeling better.

 How do we take care of ourselves in times like this?

 * Practice deep, belly breaths to decrease stress and help sleep

* Engage in your routine of class and practice if it feels helpful, or ask your coach about taking a break if you need rest. Exercise can be an effective coping strategy if you feel up for practice.

* Seek support from your team and family. It’s not morbid to talk about Kosta—those who were closer to him may wish to share stories about him. Try not to be alone for extended time periods these first few days.

* Try to get regular sleep and nutrition

* Talk to a counselor or spiritual advisor

Resources

Jen Carter, PhD and Steve Graef PhD, Sport Psychology 614-293-3600 (Your athletic trainer has our cell phone and direct office numbers)

Student Life Counseling & Consultation Service, 4th Floor Younkin, 614-292-5766 (CCS has “urgent” appointments available and students directly impacted by this tragedy will be prioritized for services)

CCS Self-Help for Grief

NCAA Videos

 

ADJUST YOURSELF

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The beginning of the school year, especially for freshmen, is a time of adjustment.  New schedules to get used to, friendships to develop, and skills to acquire are at the forefront of our minds.  Such adjustment can lead to a tremendous amount of stress, especially if you do not have any ways of coping with it.  This week, get a handle on this period of adjustment by using the three “Rs” – Routines, Resources, and Relaxation.

 

Routines

During a period of adjustment, new stressors might throw off our existing schedules.  We feel like we are getting off track before the train even gets moving.  As such, try to identify a routine that works for you.  When you go to sleep, wake up, eat, go to classes, check in with friends and family, study, etc., are all important demands that need to somehow fit into our 7 day week.  Being purposeful about developing and sticking to a routine helps you manage your time effectively and helps you realize that you are giving attention to every demand on your plate.

Resources

One of the benefits about being at Ohio State is the many new resources available to you.  In times of adjustment it is important to seek out and utilize these resources for they can help you navigate the bumpy waters of a new school year.  While using the latest resources is important, don’t forget about your existing resources such as friends, family, teammates, etc.  Do your best to seek out your biggest cheerleaders during this time of change.  They are there for you!

Relaxation

Finally, learn to RELAX!  Times of adjustment are difficult.  It can take time to adjust to a new situation.  Learning to roll with it and gently try to establish a routine is a huge.  Don’t force a schedule that can’t be forced.  By staying relaxed and realizing that, in time, you will get used to this new situation can help you gain perspective and feel less stressed about the chaos in your life.

Adaptability

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Adaptable – the ability to adjust to new conditions.

Adaptability is a pre-requisite for being a successful student-athlete.  Though many of us possess the capability to transition well in new circumstances, there are those times when we all might struggle.  As the new school year approaches, we will be faced with new conditions that we must adapt to.  Incoming freshmen may need to adapt from being away from home and adjust to a newer, more demanding schedule.  Upperclassmen may face harder upper-level classes and increased roles on the team to be particularly challenging.  Thus, it is critical we take a moment to assess our own levels of adaptability and implement strategies to enhance our abilities to conquer these new and more demanding situations.

Strategy 1: Choose to be a fighter.

Fighters are devoted to making adjustments, not excuses. Fighters are accountable and believe they can be successful.  They choose to get better every day and look for reasons to be positive.  Victims, on the other hand, make excuses, blame others, complain, and avoid difficult situations. Look at your current situation.  Are you being a victim or a fighter??  The choice is yours!

Strategy 2: Create a plan of attack

Sometimes when we are faced with new, demanding conditions we become overwhelmed and can’t think straight.  As a result, we need a quick, go-to strategy for getting our minds in the right state to deal with whatever challenging situation we’re in.  This plan of attack involves the following three steps:

1) What? – Identify what exactly is the new, challenging situation.

2) So what? – Identify that which you actually have control over and that which you do not.

3) Now what? – Identify the best plan of attack based on what is going on and what you are actually able to do about it.

Strategy 3: Be creative

Adjusting to new conditions involves thinking on your feet and identifying new ways of doing things.  By thinking outside of the box you can come up with a variety of solutions and skills that can turn stress into strength.  Practice being in challenging or unique situations and experiment with creative strategies.  Incorporate these strategies into your tool box.

 

Make IT happen!

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Athletes are no strangers to goal setting, whether learning a new skill, winning a competition, or achieving a personal record, athletes are built to strive. As a new school year approaches and your athletic training hits the reset button, I wanted to offer a unique goal-setting process that can help harness your focus in your pursuit of goals both large and small.

This goal setting journey requires answering four questions.

1) What is your IT? Not surprisingly, the IT is the goal that you desire. ITs are unique to each individual. It can be a personal, athletic, academic, social, ANYTHING. We may have multiple ITs but we have to keep in mind that is difficult to give 100% to every IT, and that the more ITs we have, the more our energy gets spread out and drained.

Example: “I want to pass my fitness test.”

2) Why do you want IT? In order to get where you want to go you need emotional fuel. Connecting with the WHY taps into your inner motivational resources. By connecting with your motivation, you are frequently fueled to continue pursuing your IT. When you become tired, stressed, or frustrated during your pursuit of a goal, remind yourself of the WHY to re-energize and continue your relentless journey.

Example: “I want to pass my fitness test because I know I can push my body to do it and I know it’s critical to my role on the team.”

3) Who do you need to be to accomplish IT? Here it is important to identify the values, strengths, skills, knowledge-bases, resources, etc. needed to accomplish the goal. Do you need to build stamina, work on becoming more patient, or develop an expertise in finance? Whatever your IT is, you need to decide on, and then become, the type of person you need to be to achieve it.

Example: “I need to become mentally tough to run through discomfort and fatigue. I also need to manage my time well to fit in workouts.”

4) How will you achieve IT? Finally, you have to identify the steps required to make IT happen. Here is when your mini-S.M.A.R.T. goals come into play. By identifying the baby-steps required to achieve your larger IT, you create a road map or blueprint to follow. Of course, the implementation is the hardest part, but the more detailed your steps are, the easier the plan is to follow.

Example: “In order to pass my fitness test I need to a) build stamina by attending workouts, b) progressively increase my workout load each week, c) treat my body well (nutrition, stretching, sleep, substances), d) practice positive self-talk and deep breathing.“

Obviously, the above example is a simplified version of the simplified process. In addition, the larger the goal, the more involved this process will be. But, by deliberately answering these questions you will be able to focus your mental, physical, and emotional energies to increase the likelihood of pursuing and achieving your goals. Make IT happen!

Welcome to OSU Sport Psychology

Welcome to Sport Psychology at Ohio State University Sports Medicine Center!

We will share tips and tools to help you reach your best performance in multiple domains.

Five Tips to Fight Insomnia

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Do You Have Insomnia?

With the crazy schedules we maintain, we might assume that our exhaustion leads to sound sleep. However, insomnia plagues many of us. Individuals who attend counseling at OSU Sports Medicine report sleep problems as one of their highest concerns. Insomnia is one symptom of depression and anxiety.

Are we helpless in reducing insomnia? Absolutely not! There are many effective strategies for improving quality of sleep.

Five Tips to Catch Some ZZZs

1. Establish a Bedtime Routine While it is difficult to fall asleep and wake up at the same time every day, experts recommend this routine to help sleep. If you have insomnia, try to keep your wake-up time constant but go to bed one hour later for a few nights. Some people enjoy a nighttime routine that includes a warm shower, a hot non-caffeinated beverage, reading, or writing in a journal. Avoid watching TV or using electronics right before bed, because blue light suppresses melatonin.

2. Chill Out  Insomnia is so frustrating. And, tensing up or trying to force sleep makes it more difficult. Use diaphragmatic breathing and muscle relaxation techniques to unwind after a long day. Sport psychologists can make a relaxation audio file for you. Trust your body to slip into sleep when you’re ready.

3. Think Accurately about Sleep There are myths that interfere with sleep, like, “I have to get 8 hours or tomorrow will be ruined!” Realistically, many people function quite well on less sleep. Our bodies will eventually catch up on sleep if we don’t worry about it too much. Look at insomnia as a gift, allowing you to get things done or attend to a pressing issue. Keep a notepad or journal near the bed to write down worries to be addressed while awake.

4. Interfere with ruminations  Do you have worrisome thoughts playing in a loop in your mind? Dr. Marsha Linehan advises interfering with those ruminations by counting 1-10 ten times. The first time through, pause after one. The second time through, pause after two, and so on. This technique makes it impossible to worry by occupying your mind. Another tip is to splash cold water on your face. Or, label your worry as solvable or insolvable. If insolvable, go deep into the worst thing that could happen and imagine coping with it.

4. Other Sound Strategies Get more balanced exercise. Limit caffeine later in the day. Keep your bedroom cold, dark, and quiet to enhance some good zzzzs. And, avoid using alcohol to fall asleep (alcohol actually interferes with REM sleep).