Psychological Regulation
Psycho-physical regulation
Even the tiniest drop creates a wave when it hits the water. The wave spreads out and decreases until the surface is completely calm again. This has been happening billions of times a day ever since the world began. It's an age-old ritual that never changes.
It's also a perfect analogy for the regulation of our psyche. When the equilibrium is disturbed, the system works to bring everything back into sync. In the case of water, it is the purely physical forces of gravitation and surface tension that reestablish this balance.
The human organism has a myriad of such mechanisms designed to restore equilibrium. These can be physical, chemical and biological, or emotional and psychological. If we get too hot, the pores in our skin open, allowing moisture to evaporate. If we feel threatened, our heart rate, breathing and blood pressure increase to give us the strength to fight or flee.
This organism performs millions of such tasks each and every day. It does so tirelessly, with unerring accuracy and reliability. This happens in everyone, from newborn babies to elderly people and, of course, competitive athletes. All the information gathers in the vegetative nervous system and any adjustments needed to ensure the individual's wellbeing are made.
However, discrepancies can occur. For example, you might be tired and eager to go to sleep as you've got an important competition looming the next day. Unfortunately, all sorts of thoughts keep going through your brain, slowly at first, but then faster and faster. Eventually you imagine the worst possible scenario, end up wide awake and start to panic.
We've all experienced that. You want to relax and sleep, but your body and mind are fully active. Even though you desperately need some rest, the processes in your system clearly have other ideas. For many competitors, sleeplessness before important tournaments is par for the course. If that sounds familiar, don't worry about it.
One rifle shooter suffered from particularly bad sleep problems before championship competitions. He finally got fed up struggling to sleep and waking up early, and decided to just stay up all night. He didn't feel too bad even with no sleep and achieved his normal results.
Experts later confirmed that a sleepless night doesn't pose any major risks. In fact, some treatments for depression use similar methods. This particular shooter made sleep deprivation part of his pre-competition routine - and even stayed up all night right before his Olympic victory.
In an ideal world, we would tackle a long and strenuous day of competition after a good night's sleep. A wellrested body is more resilient and has more resources to draw on. So why are so many competitors unable to switch off before important matches?
Behavioral scientists explain stress reactions using experiences gleaned from the history of human development. If our minds perceive a threat, they stay alert to ensure we can fight or flee at any time. While the upper strata demand rest, the subconscious mechanisms prefer to remain vigilant. Which level wins through is dependent on our persona and experience. However, it's also possible to regulate these processes consciously with techniques like breath control (or tranquilizers.!).
Pre-competition nerves: Shooters, golfers and competitors in related sports are caught completely unawares by these stress reactions. They aim to deliver a finely-tuned psychomotor performance but instead find their systems under intense pressure. It's not easy to sink a putt or make a clean shot with your heart pounding, your muscles twanging and your thoughts racing. Any increase in your heart rate at the wrong moment is very onerous and utterly counterproductive.
We experience similar reactions in any test situation. In school or in a job interview, for example, when what we really need is physical and mental calm, we always end up in this agitated state. Even people in love are overcome by this 'madness' when they meet for a date. Isn't that wonderful?
It's impossible to entirely overcome or switch off this vigilant, watchful state. We inherit it from our distant ancestors from the moment we're born; it's part of our genetic makeup.
As a result, we have...
