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    Why sports psychology is important in esports

    How mental health issues should be tackled in rising sport
    Mar 3, 2022
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    A scene from Mobile Legends' M3 world championships last December 2021.

    WITH THE growth of esports in the country, becoming a professional gamer is suddenly becoming a viable career track. But one should also be aware that becoming an esports athlete can be a mentally draining experience.

    It's a similar situation that confronts athletes, even in traditional sports, says sports psychologist Dr. Rodel Canlas.

    “There’s a lot of expectation and pressure surrounding the environment of sports and esports and that’s why a number of athletes tend to react with this pressure that’s upon them,” he said to Spin.ph. “It affects not only their performance — specifically it might deteriorate their performance, such as anxiety, the tension which they could feel during an actual game or competition.”

    This pressure cooker of expectations can brew up mental health issues for players.

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      “When the stress or anxiety accumulates for a particular athlete, that is when most likely magkakaroon ng unwanted mental health conditions,” said Canlas.

      “There’s a possibility na magkakaroon ng mental exhaustion, anxiety, depression, etc. and that is when not only the performance of the athlete will be affected pati na rin yung overall psychological well-being.”

      The effects can seep far beyond their professional lives.

      "When the psychological well-being of an athlete is unfavorably affected, other aspects would be involved such as physical health, social relationship, as well as occupational pati academic aspects," explained Canlas.

      Another factor to consider is the harassment that esports players — who spend most of their professional lives in front of screens, whether playing their sports or streaming — would normally encounter online.

      “On the part of esports athletes, what they need to handle ay yung mga bashers and trolls. Of course, the best way to deal with it is to avoid it but sometimes it can help na ma-e-encounter sila ng mga bashers and trolls online.”

      What do psychologists do to aid esports athletes?

      On the part of mental health professionals tasked to work with these athletes, part of the psychological sessions is to process these ugly experience to release the emotion. They need to affirm to themselves na "I’m not the athlete na sinasabi ng bashers and trolls online," as Canlas puts it.

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      "But outside the session, doon pumapasok yung importance ng emotional regulations.

      He went on, “Kase once kapag pinasukan ng mga bashing and criticism, it’s not only your focus and attention that will be affected, may mga cases din yung self-concept o yung pagtingin ng atleta sa sarili niya will also be affected."

      Because of the similar situations that both esports and traditional sports athletes would encounter from a mental perspective, Dr. Canlas said that the mental skills training for both athletes are similar.

      “[There's] no difference in terms of psychological skills training we use for traditional sports and esports," he said. :Psychological and mental skills training are very appropriate to esports athletes because esports is primarily mental and strategic."

      In fact, they both have the usual outcome, process, and performance goals sessions. However, for esports athletes, one aspect in particular is given a greater significance.

      To prevent "tilting", esports psychologists often focus their sessons on emotional regulation.

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      As Canlas explained, "Yung tilting, kapag nagkamali ang esports athlete, mafru-frustrate, magagalit at nagiging tuloy-tuloy yung paggawa ng mistakes. Why? Because in that context most likely the athlete wasn’t able to regulate his emotion. Doon pumapasok yung emotional regulations.”

      And those tilting moments could cause some moments of doubt to the point where esports athletes would engage in negative self-talk, however there are sessions to improve on their mindset.

      “If that negative self-talk is moving them away from their desired performance or playing the game itself, it follows positive self-talk. Imbes na 'Natatalo kami!', 'Babawi ako!'”

      Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph

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      A scene from Mobile Legends' M3 world championships last December 2021.
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