Nervousness
Whether you are waiting for an exam, about to
start an important presentation or at the start of a race, we've all
experienced nervousness. But have you ever wondered why this happens? In this
short article we will tell you why.
In
stressful situations, your brain sends a signal from the pituitary gland all
the way to the kidneys where your adrenal gland resides; this is where
adrenaline is released. You’ve felt it before, the rapid heart rate, dilating
pupils and increased circulation in your muscles. It's all part of the
"fight or flight" response which developed in our evolutionary
history to help us survive. However this response isn't all or nothing, there
are degrees reaction, according to the perceived threat or importance you
attach to the outcome. So something like an interview, which presents a
challenge, stimulates the same biological reaction that a threat to your life
does, just to a smaller degree.
Have
you ever felt those nervous butterflies in your stomach? This is because
adrenaline helps redirect blood and energy to the most important parts of your
body during stress, like the heart and muscles, and also away from your
digestive system causing the blood vessels to close around your stomach, which
leads to that tingling sensation.
There
are some effective tricks the athletes do in order to handle a huge stress they
go through before competitions. The concept of 'mental imagery' is a widely
used method in popular sport. With 'Cognitive Specific' imagery an athlete
simply imagines themselves practicing a technique or skill before competing or
training. While it may sound crazy, this actually stimulates the relevant
neurons in the brain, and has been shown to enhance the specific skill.
'Motivational Specific' imagery on the other hand encourages athletes to recall
the feeling of winning an event or beating a competitor as a motivational tool.
This way by imagining yourself as focused, tough and having positive thoughts
prior to competition, you can easily deal with stressful situations in your
life.
KAA
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