Promotion of healthy lifestyle – psychological skills
The information below is
extracted from "PE (HKDSE) Learning and Teaching Package 2007", Part VII -
Psychological Skills for PE, Sport and
Recreation.
A. Stress managment
l Relaxation - The most important strategy in stress management is relaxation. The following five points are relevant:
- Smile
- Slow down
- Take a slow and deep breath.
- Focus on the present; do not think about what has just happened and what will happen.
- Do relaxation imagery.
- Enjoy the present situation.
When one is very stressful, it is not easy to relax. Therefore, relaxation training is necessary. Some examples of relaxation training are as follows:
-
Progressive relaxation –
To acquire the feeling of being relaxed through firstly tensing and then
relaxing muscles (Refer to the Student Stress Management Platform for
detailed information).
http://www.hkbu.edu.hk/~stress/English%20Version/relaxationtech.html.
- Biofeedback – To learn how to relax specific muscles with the assistance of an apparatus that can monitor somatic responses (For example, heart rate, respiration rate, muscle tension, etc).
- Imagery – To imagine how to accomplish the task in a fully relaxed way.
- Meditation – To concentrate on a specific word or object so as to reach a state of calmness.
l Positive thinking - Stress is psychological in nature. Positive thinking may help. Examples of positive thinking include:
- View the challenge as a learning opportunity.
- Make efforts in planning and preparation to feel comfortable.
- Assess the event importance again from a more macro perspective. For example, an “important” competition will become less important when it is considered as one of the many important competitions that one will undergo in his / her life.
l It is also wise to actively share the stressful feelings with parents, friends, classmates and teachers and seek their advice or support.
B. Self-confidence
Self-confidence refers to one’s belief in his/her ability to perform desired behaviours. The following are some methods of building self-confidence:
l Acquire successful experiences through:
- setting realistic goals;
- setting short-term goals so that it is easier to identify progress and to succeed; and
- setting process goals and performance goals; and emphasising on “achieving success through working hard”.
l Be physically, technically and tactically well prepared for the challenges.
l Learn to demonstrate a confident image in competitions (For example, keeping the head up, shoulders back, facial muscles loose even after making a critical error, etc).
l Discard negative thoughts (For example, I am afraid that I may make mistakes), replace them with positive thoughts (For example, I have taken plenty of practices; it is unlikely that I will make mistakes) and then strengthen the positive thoughts through repeated imageries and self-talks.
C. Goal setting
When carried out effectively, goal setting can help a person to concentrate, raise self-confidence, enhance motivation and ultimately bring about a positive effect on performance. The following table shows three types of goals in physical activities.
|
Type |
Focus |
Key to success |
Example |
|
Outcome goals |
Competition results |
Depends on the performance of the opponent |
Winning the championship |
|
Performance goals |
Meeting standards / criteria |
Effort; independent of the performance of other competitors |
Completing a
|
|
Process goals |
Actions that lead to good performance |
Effort; independent of the performance of other competitors |
Maintaining a moderate-intensity run for 60 minutes every day |
The following are some guidelines on goal setting:
l Set specific goals with time-lines.
l Set goals that are challenging but achievable.
l Develop performance indicators for the goals, i.e. clearly describe what actions to be taken under what conditions.
l Break long-term goals into several short-term goals in different stages.
l Set more process goals and performance goals, and fewer or no outcome goals.
l Set goals for practice and competition.
l Develop goal-achievement strategies.
l Record the goals and display them at appropriate spots where they can be seen frequently.
l Do not set too many goals.
l Review the goals from time to time and make adjustments when necessary.