Sam Garson

What are the various effects of anxiety on athletes and what are some coping mechanisms to combat this anxious feeling?

Started Apr. 30, 2024

Abstract or project description

Playing a sport involves not only physical effort, but also many aspects of mental health. Studying athletes’ mental health is important because of how challenging it can be to balance a sport, life in general, and school all together. It is known that many athletes can feel overwhelmed and nervous during games or competitions. However more research is needed about how to deal with anxiety in sports beyond game anxiety. Therefore, in this paper I will explore the various effects of anxiety on athletes and some coping mechanisms to combat this anxious feeling. In order to explore this, I will conduct a literature review in which I will dissect research about overall anxiety, experiences within different groups of people, and compare and contrast various coping mechanisms that have been researched with athletes who experience anxiety. I hypothesize that there is a negative correlation between anxiety and game performance and that the effectiveness of coping mechanisms may depend on the type of anxiety and traits of the individual. The results of this paper have the potential to spread awareness about the complexity of athletes’ anxiety and call attention to the importance of teaching athletes different coping mechanisms to manage anxiety.