GENERALIZED ANXIETY AND PANIC

Symptoms outside the competitive environment

Anxiety in athletes is not always limited to the moment of competition (performance anxiety); many suffer from Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), characterized by chronic and excessive worry about various aspects of daily life, difficult to control.

This includes worries about health, finances, relationships or the future, accompanied by constant hyperarousal.

An example would be a basketball player who, away from the court, lives in a state of permanent alertness.

He worries obsessively about whether the team bus will have an accident, whether his contract will not be renewed next year, or why a teammate looked at him strangely at breakfast.

This constant rumination depletes his mental energy reserves, leaving him with no cognitive resources for the game.

It's not that he's afraid to shoot hoops, it's that his alarm system is on 24 hours a day for non-sports reasons.

Impact on daily life and sleep

Generalized anxiety takes a heavy somatic toll. Physical symptoms include muscle tension, tremors, gastrointestinal problems and, very often, sleep disturbances.

The inability to "turn off" the brain at night prevents the physical recovery necessary for high performance, creating a vicious cycle.

Imagine a track and field athlete who suffers spontaneous panic attacks in everyday situations, such as shopping or being in enclosed spaces.

These episodes of intense fear, with tachycardia and a feeling of suffocation, lead her to avoid social situations and to isolate herself.

In addition, nocturnal anxiety causes maintenance insomnia, waking up several times with a racing heart.

This lack of rest and the emotional toll of living in fear of fear (fear of having another attack) impair her overall health and ability to train, requiring clinical intervention beyond sports psychology.

Summary

Anxiety