STRESS MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUE FOR ATHLETES DURING SPORTS: A CRITICAL REVIEW

Stressors have a major influence upon mood, our sense of well-being, behavior, and health. Acute stress responses in young, healthy individuals may be adaptive and typically do not impose a health burden. However, if the threat is unremitting, particularly in older or unhealthy individuals, the long-term effects of stressors can damage health. This paper attempts to look at the strategies for sports coaches in managing stressful situations in sports competitions. This paper therefore, writes in the introduction, the concepts of stress, competition based stress, management, stress management in sports, stress in sports psychology. The paper also examines the sources of stress. It looks critically at the levels of stress in competitive sports. The relationship between psychosocial stressors and disease is affected by the nature, number, and persistence of the stressors as well as by the individual’s biological vulnerability (i.e., genetics, constitutional factors), psychosocial resources, and learned patterns of coping. Psychosocial interventions have proven useful for treating stress-related disorders and may influence the course of chronic diseases. The paper also highlights some specific stress management strategies which sports coaches have to employ to aid excellent performance in sports competition. It also identifies the educational implications of stress management in sports competitions. Keywords: Psychosocial stressors, Stress responses, Sports, psychosocial interventions, Stressor interactions, Stress management