Recently, I have been competing in a lot of triathlons and bike races, and before these I have never had a problem with nervousness. All of a sudden I have EXTREME nervousness before an event. It's not just that I feel nervous because I don't. I don't even know why I feel like this, but my body definitly makes it bad. I get REAL sick feeling and a normally will throw up 2-3 times before a race. In my mind, I could care less if I win or lose, but my body makes it seem like a life or death situation.... WTF can I do? Anyone else suffer from the same thing?
I don't know... just try some meditation and breathing stuffs I used to get mad nervous before a swim meet but I'd take all the nervousness and do visualizations and end up doing really, really good in the meet. And congrats on the triathlons... If my health ends up being okay I'm gonna start training to do a triathlon asap myself.
I've had experience in competition since I was a child. Played chess tournaments first starting at age 6, and these days I'm a B-level tournament pool player. Play for money and everything. It's kind of hard for me to really say what I do with competitive anxiety because my response to it is almost hard-wired at this point. But when I was a kid I would also panic. First of all, congratulations on competing on SOMETHING. I think competitive pressure is a great metaphor for life and will provide you with many tools even as a hobby. OBVIOUSLY, we get nervous because the result is important to us. So...I would start by admitting to yourself that at LEAST a part of yourself DOES care whether you win or lose. Maybe you rationalize it to yourself, saying "I don't care" as a defense mechanism. It's important to get in touch with the part of you which IS insecure, cares about results, and other's opinion of you. Suppressing that feeling by pretending you don't care is the very worst you could do, IMO. ALSO, don't feel ashamed by your need of validation. All of us feel it. So, welcome the feeling rather than trying to get rid of it, is my advice. Take ownership of your insecurities. Don't feel ashamed for them. That's what worked for me. These days, actually, I'm so addicted to competitive pressure, when I'm playing pool for nothing (no money, no tournaments) I play like SHIT. Good luck.
Well it's not the fact that I dislike the pressure. I love it, and all of its aspects. What I don't like is the fact I can rarely eat, and when I can it won't stay down. That's the part that makes me suffer.
I encourage you to think of yourself in terms of layers instead of a fixed unity. There is a layer there that is insecure. Another layer that loves challenge. The layer that is insecure needs your attention right now. It needs you to be proud of it. To inquire into it, and engage it.
When i get nervous i smoke pot. What you experiencing is normal. Pot will settle your stomach and maybe you won't get sick.
