As an athlete I have experienced blockages on more than one occasion. Feeling that desperation of not knowing WHY or HOW to get out of those situations was really stressful, paralysing and even terrifying. But what are they, really?
How could it be understood that the same thing that generated so much passion for me as my sport could have turned into my worst nightmare in those days? What had caused them? How did you get out of that downward spiral that seemed to have no end and that has put my sports performance in check more than once?
WHAT IS A MENTAL BLOCK?
The mental block occurs when we are faced with an obstacle in our thoughts, an interruption occurs in our brain processes that prevents us from acting or thinking. The person is paralyzed at the mental level, thus preventing the ability to act or perform a specific activity. The brain at that time protects itself from activities and situations in which it is overwhelmed or perceived to be in danger and cannot function normally.
The "fight" or "flight" reaction, (also called the fight, flight or paralysis reaction, hyperexcitation, or acute stress response) is a physiological response to the perception of damage, attack or threat to survival. The reaction is recognised as the first stage of a general adaptation syndrome that regulates stress responses.
The physiological changes that take place during the fight or flight reaction are activated to provide the body with increased strength and speed in anticipation of fighting or running. Some of the specific physiological changes and their functions are: Increased blood flow to the muscles, diverting it from other parts of the body. Increased blood pressure, heart rate, blood glucose level and fats, in order to supply the body with additional energy. The coagulant function of the body is accelerated in order to avoid excessive blood loss in the event of an injury during the reaction. Increase in muscle tension in order to provide the body with additional speed and strength. The pupils dilate to help see more clearly. Increased sweating to avoid overheating due to increased metabolism.
A Mental block is a resistance caused by an emotion or thought that we want to avoid. It serves as a defense mechanism against those situations that can disturb us and it starts automatically. The feeling of being blocked is characterized by a total lack of control of ourselves: our mental functions (thinking, attending, processing information ...) are diminished and our movements become clumsy, until we reach the point of not advancing. In short, we cease to be owners of our actions and decisions, and may fall into a vicious circle that will not allow us to evolve.
The explanation of evolutionary psychology is that primitive humans must have reacted quickly to threatening stimuli without having time to prepare physically and psychologically. The fight or flight reaction provided mechanisms for prehistoric humans to respond quickly to threats to survival.
POSSIBLE CAUSES OF MENTAL BLOCKAGE
The blockage causes performance in training or competition to be reduced considerably. Montserrat Cascalló, president of the Association of Sports Coaching of Cataluña (Spain), specialist in sports psychology and coach, ensures that in these cases it is very important to differentiate between two concepts: emotional blockage and poor performance in competition.
Poor performance in competition is associated with athletes who have not yet learned to compete, especially due to the inability to maintain concentration during tests (being unaccustomed to a different environment) and due to the excessive stress with which they live this situation. Stress is a negative aspect, since "it does not allow to have precision in movements, to concentrate for correct decision making or to achieve the optimum degree of activation to compete", describes the specialist. The environment around them, sometimes, increase the degree of stress, which does not help to compete in optimal conditions.
The emotional block is more complicated. "It arises when a strong and negative emotion has been connected to a situation," defines Cascalló. So, every time the athlete is in the same or similar circumstances, he feels the past emotion again and that makes a normal sports performance impossible. To help the person overcome this, coaching and sports psychology are of great help.
According to Cascalló, the key to overcoming frustration in sports activity is in the development of emotional intelligence from childhood, which in turn allows them to develop aspects that will help them in many areas of life. Sport is an ideal way to integrate this learning, which can also be encompassed in the labor, social and even personal fields. In people with a good level of emotional intelligence, disappointment can be quickly overcome by analyzing the situation and deciding on how to redirect the target.
Ian Maynard, a sports psychologist at the University of Sheffield Hallam (United Kingdom), says that high-performance athletes are not used to expressing their emotions, since they consider that this could cause problems during competition and for this reason, they tend to be closed and show a harsh image. Above all, their emotional change in the preparation and concentration stage prior to their competition of which they are not aware.
In general, they are subjected to high levels of stress because their expectations of them often exceed their psychological capacities. They themselves set goals that, if they do not meet them, cause a state of depression that they rarely express so as not to show weakness, that is when they are absorbed by wrong ideas and lose the correct direction of their lives. Another reason may be the loneliness derived from sports commitments, which keeps them away from their families for long periods of time.
It is essential that one is able to understand mistakes as teaching opportunities. An underdeveloped emotional intelligence, on the other hand, does not allow overcoming the initial emotion of frustration and the person ends up developing aggressive-passive behaviors that do not help to improve or achieve more well-being and lose his way. It causes a vicious circle of difficult exit. This comes from the feeling of anger implicit in the disappointment.
Based on the fact that you are clear about your objective, we are going to focus on the second step. Here the million dollar question is: why can't I execute the exercise ?, or why before yes and now not? Each one will have their reasons, but to limit the sea of personal experiences, I am going to tell you about the two possibilities that can arise:
Physical barriers: here, the problem is that either you do not have a polished enough technique to perform the movement (s), or you do not have sufficient strength / mobility / flexibility, both cases being possible at the same time.
Mental barriers: they are not seen and many times it is also impossible to explain why they appear exactly, but at that precise moment you go blank and lose control of your body, being totally unable to do what you are asked to do. They are commonly called "blocks" and can really be a headache.
If after analyzing your case you come to the conclusion that your barrier is only physical, most likely working with the technique and / or your physical condition is more than enough to solve the stagnation. But if we are facing a mental or emotional block, it does not matter that you have an excellent physical condition and that your technique is worthy of the Olympics, because the main work is not going to be aimed at improving your body or your skills, but rather to free your head.
Mental blockages can be caused by:
Fear
Anguish before a real or imagined danger. In our case, we may be afraid of hurting ourselves (falling in the jump, straining a muscle, forgetting the course ...) or feeling judged (“doing properly an "in & out" exercise) - in the case of showjumping.
Need for approval
This is where the fear of being judged comes from. What happens is that we become obsessed with what others think (our coach, other riders, family ...) to the point of not being objective with our work and the level at which we are. It usually occurs mostly in competitors, because they depend on the judgment of others to validate their work as athletes and they know that giving their best may not be enough.
Low confidence
When we really don't have the certainty that something will work out for us or that we will be able to face the challenge ("I don't have enough balance or reaction to do a jumping gymnastics exercise"). We judge ourselves harshly and do not value improvement, however small.
High demand and perfectionism
It happens when we have very ambitious goals (sometimes not too realistic) or when we push ourselves beyond our means. It represents high levels of performance for oneself. There are 2 types:
1) Normal: athletes with high levels of motivation and success.
2) Neurotic: it is related to low levels of self-esteem, non-adaptive responses, guilt and shame. This is related to high levels of cognitive anxiety (mental manifestations caused by fear, being judged negatively, loss of self-esteem and failure).
We reproach ourselves for the slightest failure and we are not satisfied with what we have reached so far. This characteristic can be intrinsic in the person and come from the environment, be it social, work or academic. The person will always have tasks to perform, improve their performance, demonstrate that they are qualified for a certain task, etc., the exact opposite may occur if that requirement exceeds their abilities, feeling that the person is limited and blocked from carrying it out.
External pressures
Sometimes it is not us, but others, who want to see you give more than you had planned. For example, that coach who, with all her good intention, orders you to jump a certain combination, because "for your level, it is what you should be doing". We are satisfied with what we give, but it bothers us to think that others are not happy with our results. In this category, parents are added, who often inadvertently exert more pressure than they should not respecting the normal development of the athlete.
Real lack of effort
You are surprised at a level of difficulty that you are not used to and that can cause a blockage by not knowing how to face the situation.
Low self-esteem
The concept that a person has of himself is fundamental at the time of believing himself capable of carrying out daily tasks as well as those that demand a higher performance. The person who from childhood has felt mediocre, not very decisive, inferior to others, will be more prone to suffer mental blocks. This low self-esteem begins in the family, the absence of valuation of their achievements, the understanding of their mistakes and the motivation to achieve their goals, learning that they can be wrong, are fundamental aspects that, if not given, will contribute to their condition.
Frustration
In these cases, it may happen that a person's expectations are not met and there is no correct emotional management. This will trigger high levels of frustration that will not allow the person to follow a line of thought, causing the blockage.
Stress
We understand stress as a set of physiological reactions (sweating of the hands, trembling of the legs, need to urinate, dry mouth, increased muscle tone, physical fatigue, upset stomach, diarrhea, increased heart rate, among others). The response to certain stressful stimuli requires a high and intense brain activity, when these situations are repeated and intense, the brain is literally exhausted, and the person cannot think clearly or face certain circumstances. When the resources put into play for overcoming this state doesn't meet the demands of said situation, negative consequences are generated. Better called DISTRESS, which has a NEGATIVE impact on the athlete's physiological and emotional capacity.
Traumatic situations
People who suffer from mental blockage may have suffered abandonment, physical and / or psychological abuse at home or at school, and may be bullied. What in situations where you feel exposed and the body and mind revive them, will cause brain processes to stop. In the case of sports, a fall, an injury, embarrassment, etc., can cause an emotional block.
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