Athletes experience a significant amount of performance anxiety due to game-day stresses, and Raven Rudnitsky, a family psychologist, claims that by becoming aware of what you’re telling yourself, one can increase their success on the field. Both Rudnitsky and Julie Brinskey, a Susquehanna Women’s Soccer alum, offered advice to SU’s female student athletes last Tuesday on how to deal with the pressures of competition on and off the field. Their two different perspectives on athletics allowed the students to reflect on their own habits and how to have a more positive subliminal voice.

When Rudnitsky asked the athletes attending how many of them believed that they were too hard on themselves, collectively more than half of their hands shot up into the air. It is clear that females are not as confident in themselves as male athletes are, and that should not be the case. It is integral for all females, not just athletes, to recognize their strengths and be proud of their hard work regardless of the outcomes of competitions.

Both speakers discussed how performance anxiety is crippling for many talented female athletes who do not know how to properly deal with it. It is of paramount importance to recognize the differences between games and practices as well as the mind-body connection, according to Rudnitsky. She claimed that being aware of where you store your tension can allow one to target the area where they must relax, which will let muscle memory successfully take over while being flooded with adrenaline.

But the physical release of tension is only part of the issue with conquering performance anxiety. Rudnitsky said that “until you accept yourself as exactly as you are, that’s when we’re most able to change and move forward... set the bar high and say 'I can do this.'” A positive mindset relaxes one's muscles and in turn and allows athletes to perform at a higher level. Rudnitsky focused on telling the attendees that not being too hard on yourself and visualizing yourself doing it right increases their success rates.

She even offered a personal anecdote about a time she was playing tennis with her father. She described how she would be great in practice, but when it came down to a game she tensed up and failed, but one day her father went to her before a competition and said, “I don’t expect you to be perfect, but I expect your best.” Reflecting on that, she realized that she is human and failure is inevitable, and that should not stop her from believing in herself and performing at a high level.

All female athletes should be aware of the benefits of a positive attitude, and have more confidence in themselves. Rudnitsky and Brinskey both know how to deal with the issues that being an athlete entails, and the talk positively influenced all attendees by helping them act in the moment, love it, and that they should be grateful to play the sport they adore at a higher level.