How can I prevent athletic performance anxiety?

Dear Dashin’ to the Bathroom, 

Two, four, six, eight, what do we appreciate? Not competition day nerves! Your frequent trips to the toilet are well in line with symptoms of performance anxiety—indigestion and diarrhea can be part of the body’s reaction to stress. You might be able to diminish your dashing by trying psychological interventions, changing what you eat, trying probiotics, or taking anti-diarrheal medication. Read on for more information about how to quell your belly aches and quakes!  

Performance anxiety is related to lacking confidence in your ability or displaying those abilities to a larger audience, be it music, sports, or acting, especially in front of others or where their talent is being evaluated. It can be brought about by feelings of uncertainty or the threat to identity as an athlete, among other things. There are many different theories as to whether anxiety improves or hinders performance. Regardless of potential positive outcomes, anxiety isn’t always a pleasant feeling. It’s felt as mental and physical symptoms like sweating, increased breathing rate, fidgeting, and negative thoughts. 

When it comes to your poopy symptoms, you’re not alone. When you’re stressed and your body feels threatened, your heart rate and blood pressure increase. This short-term stress response, known as "fight or flight," also causes the large intestine to work faster to expel toxins. Here’s where your stomach discomfort and diarrhea come in. There’s also a lot being studied about the relationship between the gut and the brain. Some research looking at the gut and brain relationship has found that stress leads to measurable changes to the makeup of your gut microbiome. Disruptions to the flora in your gut are therefore, also potentially responsible for your tummy feeling turbulent.  

So, how can you turn your focus back on your sport and off your stomach? There are some psychological interventions for performance anxiety you might consider trying. These include:  

• Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). CBT is a therapeutic modality that involves changing the ways you think and behave. It’s built on the theory that by learning how to cope differently, you can relieve your symptoms of anxiety and depression. In your case, you might consider talking to a mental health professional specializing in CBT to change your habits surrounding competition day. You might develop a routine where you focus on staying calm, eat foods that are easy on your stomach, and surround yourself with positive reinforcement. If you decide to work with a mental health professional, they might also be able to prescribe you an anti-anxiety medication, which could help lessen performance nerves. 
• Motivational self-talk. You can often be your own worst critic. But the next time you find yourself speaking negatively about your abilities, ask yourself, “Would I speak to my friend that way?” It’s much more helpful to your overall performance for you to have a positive outlook on what you’re capable of—research suggests that including motivational self-talk into your routine can reduce performance anxiety. Motivational self-talk might involve phrases such as “This is an opportunity for me to show how much I’ve practiced” or “I’m going to try my best.” 
• Guided imagery. Guided imagery involves imagining that you’re at the competition and visualizing each step which can be done during your everyday practice. Even if the actual details are unknown to you, the point is to familiarize yourself with what might come and how you see yourself in that situation. This strategy reduces the element of uncertainty, which goes a long way to reduce stress. There are many ways you can go about this method: you can write a list, rehearse your plan with your eyes closed, or make and listen to a recording guiding you through your sport. 

In addition to psychological interventions, you might also find it helpful to change some of your habits come competition day. For example, you may want to avoid certain foods before a competition that might upset your stomach or worsen symptoms. It may take some time to figure out which foods work best for you, but setting up a routine could help you cut down on stress and unwanted stomach jitters. Additionally, you might consider taking probiotics, which can help stabilize your microbiome so that stress disruptions aren’t as extreme as they might be otherwise. If diet changes and supplements fail, you might consider buying over-the-counter anti-diarrheal medications. All this to say, your upset stomach could be influenced by many factors. Exploring the underlying reasons with a health care provider could help you decide what solution might work best for you in the long run. 

Here’s to running away from the runs,