Ask izzie!
Dear Izzie,
I’ve been swimming for a few years, but I just started getting competitive. Before my last meet, I got really nervous and felt like I was going to throw up right before my event! Ever since then, I keep getting headaches during practice and I don’t feel like swimming at all. I’m even dreading my next swim meet. I’m wondering if I should stop swimming. What do you think?
Maddie
Hey Maddie!
Thanks for your question. It sounds like you need some help!
Does this sound familiar?
It happens fast. Your heart hammers in your chest. You get hot and cold all at once. You start breathing quickly. You break into a sweat. What is going on?
It’s anxiety!
When you experience a stressful situation, your mind kicks your body into an overdrive state called fight or flight response. This natural reaction to stress gets your body ready to take on life-or-death situations, like when your ancestors had to run away from a vicious grizzly bear or some other life-threatening event!
Even though your swim meet isn’t life-or-death, you are reacting the same way, and it can feel really bad. But there is hope: research on competitive athlete’s shows that those who use their anxiety positively do better in races than those who believe that their anxiety will hurt their abilities.
Here are a few tips for managing those panicky feelings:
1.Take Deeeep Breaths . . .
Before your next race, take five deep breaths. Breathe in through your nose and imagine your lungs filling with air like a big balloon. Breathe out through your mouth, making sure you deflate the balloon as much as you can. Put your hand on your stomach and feel it inflate when you inhale and deflate when you exhale. As you breathe in, choose a word to repeat in your mind, like “calm”. As you breathe out, choose a word that you want to let go, like “stress”, “worry” or “fear”.
2.Stop the Nasty Negatives!
Along with your body’s reaction to anxiety, your mind begins to race with all the things that can go wrong—your goggles might fog, you could choke on water, your cap could slip. As your mind brings up these negative thoughts, imagine a huge red stop sign coming up in front of the thought. Let the thought fade away as the stop sign fades.
3.Visualize Greatness
You can see great athletes on TV use this technique before a big score, routine or race. With eyes closed, they envision a great performance. You can do it too! Close your eyes and imagine the entire race before you begin. Picture yourself with a clean start. Imagine your feelings as you glide through the water. See yourself finding your rhythm and feeling strong. If you picture a great race before you begin, you are more likely to begin with a calm and strong mind.
Maddie, you don’t have to live with this anxiety and you definitely don’t have to stop doing the sport you love! With these simple tricks, you can manage your pre-race jitters and get back to enjoying swimming. Ask your coach, parents or older teammates for their advice. They may have some great tips of their own to share. Good luck on that next race!
