A very common question we are asked as specialists in treatment for anxiety is “What is the best way to cope with a panic attack?” This can be a tricky question. Since panic can be so overpowering and uncomfortable, typically all we want when we’re…
Photo credit: Alexandra Gorn If you’ve ever experienced a panic attack, you know firsthand how horrible it feels. You also know how natural an impulse it is to want to do anything possible to avoid having another panic attack again in the future. Unfortunately, some…
Photo credit: Nabeel Syed In part 1 of this series, we addressed what a panic attack feels like. In this article, we’ll shift to address the question of “Why?” we panic, which is often more nuanced than we might initially think. Colloquially, people often assume…
What does a Panic Attack feel like? Even if you’ve never experienced a panic attack yourself, you probably know someone who has, or have seen one portrayed in the media. Panic Disorder affects 2-3% of individuals in the United States in a given year (Source:…
When people think of sport psychology, they often envision a rousing speech given by someone akin to a motivational speaker. This is occasionally true, as there is a time and a place for most things. However, the motivation felt after a rousing speech is often…
Community college softball, like all athletic competitions, comes with emotional highs and lows. Softball teams set goals for themselves and their journey to achieve those goals is often fraught with difficulties. Of course, it can be immensely helpful to create a team atmosphere that encourages…
Mental skills are a crucial part of athletic competition. The term mental skills refers to the strategies an athlete uses to regulate thoughts or feelings in a way that is conducive to performing at one’s best. Softball is a psychologically challenging sport among athletes who…
Team sports, such as softball, require groups of people to work together toward a common goal. When teammates are able to cohesively work together the team, as a whole, can become greater than the sum of their parts as individual players. However, how do teams…
Community college softball is a physically and emotionally demanding sport under the best of circumstances. Unfortunately, many student-athletes do not compete under the best of circumstances. Many community college athletes compete in their sport while dealing with financial issues, family issues, and other personal stressors,…
Student-athletes choose to compete in sport at the community-college-level for a variety of reasons. Some athletes spend time at a community college to improve their GPA in order to transfer to 4-year university. However, other athletes might join a community college team with the intention…
Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is a debilitating mental illness that affects millions of people across the United States. OCD can take a variety of forms. One such form of OCD involves people suffering from obsessions and compulsions related to religion or morality. The International Obsessive…
Two Types of Mindsets Carol Dweck, a researcher now at Stanford, has investigated the effects of two simple mindsets that permeate all areas of life: the fixed mindset and the growth mindset (Dweck, 2006). The fixed mindset is one in which a person believes that…