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Using Imagery in Stress Management
Biofeedback in Stress Management
Strictly speaking, biofeedback systems are tools to aid relaxation as opposed to stress management techniques.
Biofeedback systems use electronic sensors to measure stress, and then feed the results of this measurement back to the athlete. This feedback may take the form of movement of a pen on a graph plotter, or may be by the pitch of sound coming through earphones.
This feedback allows you to experiment with stress management techniques, and actually see or hear them taking effect on your body. It allows you to practise different ways of using the techniques and compare the results.
There are three main approaches to biofeedback:
- Skin temperature methods: adrenaline diverts blood from the body surface to the core of the body, in preparation for response to danger. As less warm blood is going to the surface, skin temperature drops.
- Skin electrical activity methods: when you are under stress you sweat more. Skin that is damp (sweating) conducts electricity more effectively than skin that is dry. These methods of biofeedback measure the amount of electricity conducted between two electrodes on the skin.
- Muscle electrical activity: these methods measure the electrical activity of muscles under the surface of the skin. This is useful in measuring the tension of these muscles.
Biofeedback methods are useful ways of demonstrating the effectiveness of what may otherwise seem to be fairly nebulous methods of relaxing such as imagery. They convert vague feelings into hard, observable information, and help an athlete to fine-tune the use of stress management techniques.
