Dr. Kevin Chapman: Behavioral avoidance is a strategy that we all use. If we’re honest with ourselves, we all engage in some form of behavioral avoidance. And, behavioral avoidance really refers to strategies I use that require me to engage in certain behaviors that is really aimed at making emotions go away. So, it’s something that I do as a way to try and feel better, but the irony is that, it backfires and makes me feel worse. So, anything that I do that is a strategy to try to get some temporary relief from strong emotions is what we’ll refer to as behavioral avoidance, like not going to places.
There’s five ways we avoid emotional experiences through behaviors. So, one way we avoid through behavioral avoidance is what we call “overt avoidance,” A.K.A, “I’m not going.” So, it’s kind of like if someone says, “Hey, there’s this gathering, there’s this get together at this place.” Nope, not going. Or, “Oh, there’s a lot of people at this mall.” Nope, not going. So, no means no, so overt avoidance is, “I am not going.” No is no. It’s something I’m simply not doing, period. So, there’s no smoke and mirrors whatsoever.
A second type of behavioral avoidance, which is much more subtle, is what we call “subtle behavioral avoidance.” And, subtle behavioral avoidance is what I like to tell people, “I’m there, but I’m not all the way there.” So, here’s some common examples of subtle behavioral avoidance. It’s like saying, “Yeah, the family’s at my house but I’m going to sit in the theater room by myself,” or, “I’m going to the social gathering, but I’m only going to speak to familiar people,” or, “I’m going to order my food, but I’m not going to make eye contact,” or, “I’m going to the movie theater, but I’m going to sit on the aisle seat just in case something happens.” So, it’s this idea that I’m going to go if you go with me. So, I’m going to these situations but I’m subtly avoiding the full intensity of an emotional experience. So, that’s what we call subtle behavioral avoidance. I’m only talking to people I’m comfortable with, for example.
Another form of behavioral avoidance is what we call “cognitive avoidance,” A.K.A. “thought suppression.” It’s like saying, “I’m going to try everything I can to not think about that.” It’s like, block out this thought, I put my fingers in my ears to distract myself, I change the T.V. channel, I might use music as a way of distraction. Worry actually is a form of cognitive avoidance because what I’m avoiding with worry is really the emotional experience that’s associated with it and a feared outcome. So, I’m trying to problem solve, in the case of worry, something that has a very unlikely chance of occurring anyway. The problem with that type of avoidance, is like if I’m saying, “f I told you to think about anything you want for the next 60 seconds but you cannot think of a polar bear, don’t do it, not even once, ready, go!” We inevitably think of a polar bear. So, the point of cognitive avoidance or thought suppression, is that it might seem like a good idea to give me some relief from an emotion, but it doesn’t work because it makes me think of the thing I don’t want to think about.
So, a fourth type of behavioral avoidance is what we call “a safety signal.” This is what I like to refer to as Linus’s blanket from Charlie Brown and Peanuts. So, it’s like something I have to carry with me or have on me at all times that makes me feel better, but it only works temporarily. So, it’s kind of like saying, “I have this rabbits foot in my pocket but I can cross the bridge if I have it in my pocket, like I’ll be fine,” or, “I have to have someone with me when I go certain places,”or, “I don’t have asthma, but that one time I had an asthma attack, so therefore I have to carry this inhaler on vacation just in case.” So, it’s this idea that I keep something with me to feel better, but again, all these strategies backfire or make me feel worse.
And then finally, the last type of behavioral avoidance is what we call “an emotion-driven behavior,” or what we like to call an E.D.B. And that’s basically saying, it’s something I do in an overreaction to an emotional experience. It’s like saying, if I’m having panic symptoms in Target, I would flee or escape right away, or, if I feel really sad or depressed, I might isolate myself for an extended period of time, or, if I get angry, I might hurl insults on purpose, so you can feel my pain. It’s like this overt behavior. It’s kind of the opposite of overt avoidance, where as overt avoidance is like, no, I’m not going, an emotions behavior is on the other end of the continuum. It’s like saying, “Oh, I’m going to do it, but I’m going to do something that you are going to observe and see.”
If you think about how avoidance operates, the whole point of avoidance is that it gives me a sense of temporary relief. And not sometimes, but it always backfires and perpetuates strong emotions. So, when you think about an athlete and their well-being and their performance, avoidance only serves the function of making me feel better or confident temporarily. So, the first piece is recognizing that avoidance always makes emotions more intense. So, once I have that revelation, the second most important piece is to start identifying what I call “alternative actions” or also known as “incompatible behaviors.” So alternative actions and incompatible behaviors. What is something that allows me to fully experience certain emotions that then I can recognize, what I like to refer to as, “the emotional law of gravity.” What goes up, must come down. So, the emotional law of gravity means, what goes up, must come down. In other words, emotions run a natural course. If I’m in a situation with a coach, in a game situation, at practice, if I’m put on the spot in class, whatever it might be, whatever situation I might face as an athlete, I have to recognize that there’s always an ebb and flow with emotional experiences. Avoidance never allows me to experience that, though, and my body’s natural reaction to that. So, in other words, what happens is that if I engage in an incompatible behavior, for instance, if it’s, “I don’t want to talk to my coach because he’s going to be mad at me, so I avoid talking to him about playing time,” that’s a good example, I think. So, if I confront that situation and make the decision to talk to coach after practice, my anxiety’s probably going to go all the way up to a peak, but what happens naturally if I don’t escape, is that it’s going to level off like that, and then it’s going to drop on it’s own. What happens, my anxiety goes down, I feel more self-confident, and there’s positive consequences more than likely because my coach now knows that I can approach him or her with a certain problem or situation, and now there’s an open dialogue and communication.
So, ultimately, engaging in an alternative action, in other words, confronting the emotion, always leads to me feeling better, not only with my self-confidence, but also about me being able to manage emotions more effectively long-term, which builds skills, not only as an athlete during my performances, but way after I’m done with my sport.
Dr. Kevin Chapman addresses the concept of behavioral avoidance and how athletes can ultimately experience greater complications when they avoid dealing with conflicts that arise on and off the field.
Learn more about Dr. Kevin Chapman.
Hi. I’m Trevon, Trey, Jennifer. Team USA wheelchair basketball player, paralympian, and true sport athlete. Today, I want to talk to you about goal setting. And there are three things that I would like you to know. First, successful athletes set goals and a planned roadmap. Second, goals should be written down, assessed over time, and changed if necessary. And third, goals need to be challenging in order to be worthwhile. As a freshmen at Edinboro University, I was a part of a team that made the national championship game. And at that time I recognized I was the low man on the totem pole, but I felt in my heart that I knew my dreams were so much bigger than winning a national title. I wanted to make Team USA. I knew what achieving my lofty goal was not going to be easy and that I would need to work hard every day.
So, as a reminder, I created a pyramid of goals that I kept right above my bed. This pyramid reminded me of the accomplishments that I was working towards and visually represented my need to create a solid foundation underneath me before reaching the top. In the bottom roll of my pyramid of goals I listed goals such as obtaining my bachelor’s degree, becoming a scholar athlete award recipient, and becoming an All-American. The middle row listed winning a national title and playing for a professional team. And at the top row, the most challenging of them all, I listed becoming a gold medalist for Team USA.
By understanding that there are smaller stepping stones to achieving my ultimate goal of being on Team USA, I was able to stay motivated and to stay focused on completing the smaller stepping stones fully before moving onto the next one. Now I’ll be the first to admit that not every goal that I listed on my pyramid was accomplished, but seeing my goals every day when I went to bed, I was able to push through the days that I felt like doing nothing in hopes of achieving the bigger picture. Remember, create a clear goal roadmap, assess your goals often, and continue to challenge yourself. I hope that you never stopped dreaming big or reaching for the stars. And I look forward to seeing where your roadmap takes you.
Hi, I’m Kara Winger, Olympic javelin thrower, and true sport athlete. Today I want to talk to you about body image and I have three things I’d like you to know. First, healthy thoughts often lead to healthier bodies. Second, there are varying body types and no one’s body is exactly like another. And third, true beauty goes deeper than the skin. As a multi-time Olympian, I’ve experienced a lot of variation and progression in my training. My coaches and I adapt to my training frequently, all with the goal of supporting my long-term success and health in the sport of javelin. I’m talking to you about body image today because sometimes even with the best of intentions and a common goal in mind, the changes you make to your training habits can prove to be detrimental if made for the wrong reasons. In the lead up to the 2012 Olympic trials, I was told in order to improve my performance on the field, I should try to become a leaner, skinnier version of myself.
So I changed my diet. I went along with what I was being told to do, even though I’d had great success at a slightly heavier weight and higher body fat percentage, and became much leaner than ever before. It seemed like a successful change at first, but I didn’t have nearly the results I’d had before. And I believe becoming leaner than my body naturally wanted to be was what caused my ACL to tear. In the end, it cost me heavily going into the 2012 London games. The takeaway for me, and hopefully for you, is that it’s important to know what works for you and your body and to not compare yourself to others. You should do your research and experiment with your diet to find what makes you feel the best, rather than focusing on what you look like. Today, if I feel like having a chocolate chip cookie, I have one, just not every day.
I’ve learned what a properly balanced meal for my body looks like and I recognize food as the fuel that keeps me throwing. I hydrate and allow myself time to recover. And I listen to and communicate with my body so that I can be the best version of myself. In the end, you are in control of how you see, treat, and respond to your body. We only get one and it’s amazing to discover how many things our bodies can do. Be a true sport athlete. Love who you are in this moment and get excited for all the places your body will take you.
Hi, I’m Izy Isaksen, Team USA, Modern Pentathlon, Olympian, US Army Sergeant, and True Sport Ambassador. Today, I want to talk to you about being a good sport. There are three things I’d like you to know. First, real winners act the same toward their opponent, whether they win or lose. Second, follow the rules and be a gracious winner and respectful loser. And third, sportsmanship reveals your true character.
I started competing in Modern Pentathlon eight years after my older sister and three-time Olympian, Margaux Isaksen, began competing. I soon realized that people often compared the two of us. I would overhear spectators and teammates asking, “Who’s the better athlete,” and “Who’s going to beat the other.” Instead of letting outside pressures create a negative experience for us, I chose to practice winning and losing with grace and respect. I know that it would have been easy to let our hyper competitive mindset affect our relationship, but instead we decided to support and cheer for each other, regardless of our own performance. My experience of competing against and being compared to my older sister, taught me to focus on how to perform at my best, rather than putting wasted energy into wishing for others to fail.
I believe that sportsmanship reveals true character. So, no matter what situation I encounter during competition, I know it’s important to always treat people with respect and be a good sport. Remember, be a fierce competitor, find grace in all your victories and losses. And I hope to see you out there.
Edwin Moses: You’re a coach. Maybe what you want is very simple, for everyone to just run in the right direction, score for their own team, to try and try again and again. Maybe you want your athletes to become all stars. You want them to earn trophies, medals, win titles. You want them to reach the highest height their sport allows. And wanting all of that, of course, that’s good. But as every great coach discovers, developing a great athlete means nurturing, nurturing the even greater person within. Truth is, you have even more influence than you know.
You have the ability to affect even deeper change, to take what’s in your hands and do something even more extraordinary. You can be both the coach who provides the skills needed to win the game and the coach who helps them learn and succeed beyond the sport, to become all stars wherever they land in the future, and to enjoy their lives more now, because the confidence and courage they find working with you will stay with them when they need it the most. There are games to be won, lives to change. Coaches have the power to do both.
I’m Edwin Moses, and the lessons I’ve learned through sport have challenged me, guided me, and shaped my life forever. What kind of coach do you want to be?
At first glance, dietary supplements look the same. They seem safe and healthy, but just because the label says a product is a dietary supplement, that doesn’t mean it’s safe. Unfortunately, you can’t tell whether a product is safe or not just by looking at the label. Most vitamins, minerals, fish oil, and other supplements containing nutrients are probably just fine, but supplements are not evaluated or approved by FDA before they are sold. Although it is rare for vitamins or minerals to be contaminated with drugs, there has been at least one case of a vitamin containing an anabolic steroid.
At the other extreme are products that contain drugs, stimulants, anabolic steroids, or other hormones. Even though these are not technically dietary supplements, many of them are labeled as supplements. For example, body-building products sometimes contain anabolic steroids or Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators, known as SARMs, or other hormones. Some pre-workout or energy products contain illegal stimulants like DMAA, ephedra, or other amphetamine-like stimulants. Weight loss products might contain prescription drugs like sibutramine, or hormones, like human chorionic gonadotropin, also known as hCG. All natural or herbal sexual enhancement products might contain hormones or Viagra-like drugs. Products like these can harm your health and career, but they’re for sale online, in some nutrition stores, and they’re labeled as dietary supplements.
When you pick up a supplement, especially one that promises performance enhancement, you don’t know if it belongs in the “Mostly O.K.” pile or in the “Dangerous” pile. After all, two products might look the same, but one might contain just amino acids and other legitimate ingredients, while the other also contains anabolic steroids. Because of this, FDA has issued a warning about certain categories of supplements: body building products, weight loss products, and sexual enhancement products. Be extremely careful when considering a supplement in one of these categories. We strongly recommend that you avoid products in these categories.
Even when FDA tests supplements and finds dangerous ingredients, companies sometimes refuse to recall them. Sometimes, they simply repackage their product and continue selling it under a new name. Just because a product is on a store shelf doesn’t mean it is safe. You need to do your research and be an informed consumer. The dietary supplement industry is enormous. Supplements that appear to be safe could actually be dangerous products in disguise. If you use dietary supplements without doing your research, you may be taking serious risks with your health and your career. Please visit USADA’s Supplement 411 for more information about dietary supplements.
