STRESS LESS

Officials have made a conscious decision to be part of an avocation that by nature is high intensity, demanding and a source of stress in a very challenging environment. The stress we feel can be positive or negative, motivating or debilitating, and our emotional and physical reactions are a direct result of our perception of the situation.

Simply put, stress is the response to any demand made on our body and mind. The trigger that prompts stress is called the stressor. It is not what happens to you, but how you react to it. Our reaction to what constitutes a stressful situation for an official is based on a set of internal and external factors. It is indicative of how the official values that situation or that official’s interpretation of it. The cognitive process officials use to appraise or evaluate a situation is often based on their values, beliefs, knowledge, attitudes, personality, emotional state, preparation and experience. The level of stress officials feel can differ game by game and year to year.

The question is, why can some officials handle stressful situations and others cannot? Why are some high-intensity games viewed as invigorating to officials, while some view them as a place of torment? Is stress management innate, or do these officials who are perceived to be more composed and in control simply have more practice dealing with emotional and physical demands? Are an official’s mental and physical stress management capabilities based on experience, how an official assesses and manages a stressful situation or a set of tools officials possess to create that balance between environmental demands and motivation?

“One of the things we talk about in sports psychology is something called stress inoculation, preparing for it and knowing it is going to happen,” explained sports psychologist Dr. Lindsay Ross-Stewart. “Referees need to understand the expectations, be prepared and to talk about them, understand how they will be feeling and what is their strategy or plan in high-pressure moments, to stay focused and put themselves back in the game.

“The first step is to acknowledge that you will be facing those challenging situations, understand what you are thinking, how you are feeling in those moments and develop a plan that is unique to you.”

While most conversations about stress are in a negative context, the stress or pressure our body and mind feel are often the motivation we need for success. Often, we need those challenges and opportunities to make critical decisions in a highpressure environment. Some of us will rise to the occasion, while others will deteriorate. If we can learn to manage what our mind and body are telling us, we have a better recipe to manage the circumstances in the game. In this article, we are going examine what stress is, how and why our bodies and minds react in a certain way, the difference between negative and positive stress, and explore tools to manage stress and turn it into a performance-enhancing skill. In simplest terms, stress management equals performance enhancement.