Stress relief is an important component for all of us, whether an athlete or not. For many people, participating in a sport is their stress reliever! I searched around the sporting world to find a sampling of relaxation techniques:

Golf: Sometimes going to the driving range is stress relief enough! Imagine that little ball is something that is on your nerves and whack the heck out of it! However, a popular way golfers relieve stress has to be the 19th hole. If you aren’t sure what that is you’ll just have to ask a golfer!

Surfing: If surfing stresses you out - you really are wound up! I’m not a psychiatrist or anything but I would venture to guess that there are deeper issues at work here. I don't mean to downplay the tension of competitions - but seriously - what a way to have workplace stress!

NBA Basketball: Judging by the legend Wilt Chamberlain, I would guess that sex is a relaxation technique for many players.

All kidding aside, I know that the NFL and MLB, for example, have resources that teach their athletes how to deal with stress, how to relax, and how to keep the pressure of performing from totally consuming them.

I can tell you that when I was involved in competitive sports the best techniques I found to manage stress were to get plenty of rest, eat right for my body and sport, engage in relevant exercise, and laugh every chance I could. Nowadays, when I find my stress level increasing I ask myself whether it’s worth it. Sometimes we need to realize that if no one is going to face serious injury or a debilitating loss of some sort – it probably isn’t worth getting stressed about! You know what they say about the small stuff!