Editor’s note: this article wraps up a two-part series on sports-related anxiety as it pertains to Zwift. If you haven’t yet read the first part, we highly recommend starting there. Read Part 1 >
Sport-Related Anxiety Management: A Three Step Approach
Step One: Make Mental Preparedness an Aspect of Your Annual Training Plan
- Learn to identify negative thoughts and avoid having an unrealistic defeatist attitude by putting things into proper perspective.
- Be confident in your inner strength and emphasize the aspects of your daily life where you excel in the face of difficulty.
- Foster and facilitate healthy coping mechanisms and eliminate those which prove a limitation.
- Prioritize the reasons you choose to compete and the enjoyment, excitement, and satisfaction racing your bike provides.
- Create a sound pre-race preparation and start-up routine that through repetition, will eliminate the need for thought or worry on race day.
- Set realistic goals and be fair in your self-assessment and level of expectancy.
Step Two: In the Days Leading Up to the Event
- Well ahead of race day take care of the practical aspects by pre-registering for the event, scouting and studying the course, assuring that your equipment (mechanical and technology) is in optimal condition, and fostering sound preparation habits.
- Assure your physical preparedness by adhering to a solid training plan and being confident that you have done the work required to maximize your performance.
- Set the groundwork for psychological preparedness by developing healthy patterns of thinking and reflection:
- Practice meditation to develop daily habits of calmness.
- Practice relaxation and deep breathing techniques.
- Talk through your apprehensions with someone who understands and can provide a supportive, honest, and objective opinion of what you are feeling.
- Talk yourself through periods of worry by reflecting on past experiences when manageable levels of pre-race anxiety improved your performance.
- Visualize yourself successfully achieving your goals by closing your eyes and imagining the physical movements that you will make to do so.
- Be sure to only dwell upon aspects of the event which are within your control.
Step Three: In the Hours Leading up to the Event
- Leave sufficient time prior to the start of the event for completion of your pre-race checklist and to address any issues which may arise:
- Final inspection of your bike and its mechanical components.
- Power up your technology and log in to all required programs and applications.
- Ensure that all software and firmware is up to date.
- Perform and complete your well-rehearsed and trusted warm-up routine:
- Monitor your status while being sure to temper your reaction to physical cues with a balance of mellowness and excitement.
- Tell yourself that it is okay not to feel 100% just before a race and rely upon past experience when that was true and you performed optimally.
- Utilize the relaxation, breathing, and visualization techniques that you have practiced to control your heart rate and relieve muscle tension.
Coach Shayne Gaffney’s Thoughts on Dealing with Sport-Related Anxiety
“The best modalities I have found for dealing with performance anxiety symptoms are visualization and meditation.
- Visualization is only seeing yourself achieving everything you are setting out to do. Believe and achieve!
- Meditation takes more work to become proficient at, but the athletes that understand how to use it always do great. The goal is to clear your mind to achieve calm and absolute focus. Meditation will reduce the “noise” of anxiety symptoms and allow for pre-race/event calmness and serenity.”
Risks of Unaddressed Sport-Related Anxiety
Sport-related anxiety is a normal emotion experienced by many that if left unaddressed can lead to more serious psychological disorders. Recognizing early signs and symptoms (often the responsibility of professionals and peers interacting with athletes on a daily basis) is lacking in virtual competition. Like many other issues plaguing competition on all levels in all venues, awareness and education are key.
Sport-related anxiety can cause a spiraling effect on an athlete by:
- Negatively impacting sport performance during practice and competition.
- Leading to increased risk of injury occurrence.
- Delaying and obstructing injury rehabilitation and the return to sport process.
- Increasing subsequent injury risk during post-rehabilitation competition.
Some Nervousness is Good, Too Much Anxiety is Not!
Expert opinions and anecdotal stories from experienced athletes agree that some level of sport-related anxiety is unavoidable. It is the uncontrolled symptoms and detrimental effect they have upon an athlete’s emotions and performance that require introspection and self-assessment to identify and manage.
Just like other aspects of cycling, with hard work even that goal is readily achievable.
Your Thoughts
How do you cope with sport-related nervousness? Share your thoughts below!
People don’t even want to comment…interesting. Some additional thought I have are: a) since it’s not a drive, money, etc etc and races going off 24/7 there’s so many more opportunities. For me this is big (and I’m a “cat 4” (slow) …I’m sure the pros have a lot more pressure but we put pressure on ourselves right?): IRL a crit one day one weekend for one hour? The whole week planning rides, thinking about it coming, making some plans (register, drive there? Etc.), 5 hour day getting there and back and warming up etc etc and then flat tire or just out of position, bad luck or just mediocre didn’t happen that day and it’s over. In part I loved track racing over crits since got to do 3-4 races in a half day at the track so less pressure that you mess up one move and there’s your day. AND you can also try more things: go for broke solo attack, etc. (Though with zwift less since handling so limited but still: start not full gas and move up? Harder on hill or reel people back in later, but..mostly…just (if “racing”) full gas as long as possible and then without blowing settling in. (I’d also put hard rides like the big zwift insider events, ToW obviously these rides are races for many or to some degree. I didn’t sleep well before the PRL Full ZI event just thinking about all the things and sure set up the food and stuff in advance but also knowing how much physician discomfort I would be putting my self through (I had built up to it but still after 3.5 hours it’s mental you’re training ends around there going hard!).c) maybe at a very high level you’re known/visible but the anonymity makes racing less stressful too? Like, get dropped? Oh well. Hey can even just click out spin and go to another race or try again. SO many people I see in passing (names, avatars) and the vast majority I never remember seeing again. I myself partly for fun change kits (not my facial/head hair or things like that) and my “handle” (zwift power etc have my real name).
Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts.
Great article. I thought I was the only one until recently. But reading this was a bit of a relief, thankfully I don’t get anxious too much. But the stress is far higher when I think I can/should win this, if I know I’m not going to win, I’m far more relaxed and feel much better pre race.
You are definitely not the only one John. That I know for sure. Thank you for your comment.
I have anxiety like crazy before races. When I was younger and racing IRL I would almost hyperventilate at the beginning of races. Once in a crit I got lapped really early on. It was a small field and they let me stay in. Once I got into a groove I actually got my lap back! Who does that? Get lapped and then get it back? But that’s how anxious I get. I do better in events like thw Cassie Pattes TT’s where a fast start doesn’t matter as much. At crit city I have problems. I can hang for a while but its like I don’t breathe right and then a minute in I am dying. Just like in real life once I calm down I’m better. To tackle it I am racing more often to get used to it.
It is not unusual or uncommon, but can become a major challenge to overcome, manage, and cope with. I hope the strategies mentioned in the article help you a bit Andrew. Thank you for the comment.