Keeping Cool When It Counts

Emotional Differences in Sports

Luca and Clara are two young athletes training at the High Performance Technification Center in Cáceres, Spain. Luca, 22, grew up in a bustling urban environment, while Clara, 20, came from a quiet rural town. Both are passionate about mountain sports: rock climbing, trail running, and alpine skiing.

Despite their shared love for nature and competition, their emotional experiences differ. Clara often reflects deeply on her setbacks, sometimes blaming herself when things go wrong. Luca, on the other hand, tends to shift focus quickly, thinking about more pleasant things to stay motivated.

Their coach, intrigued by their contrasting emotional styles, introduces them to a psychological study exploring how emotional regulation and demographic factors influence athletes' quality of life. Luca and Clara agree to participate, completing the following surveys:

• Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ): Likert scale survey that assesses nine cognitive strategies, grouped into adaptive and maladaptive categories
• World Health Organization Quality of Life – Brief Version (WHOQOL-BREF): Likert scale survey that assesses physical health, psychological health, social relationships, and environment

After completing the CERQ and WHOQOL-BREF surveys, Luca and Clara sat down with their coach to review the results. What they discovered gave them new insight into how their thoughts and environments shaped their well-being.

Luca's Results

Luca, raised in an urban setting, scored high in positive refocusing; he often distracted himself from stress by thinking of pleasant things. He also scored moderately in planning, showing he sometimes strategized solutions to problems.

However, his scores in positive reassessment and acceptance were lower. This meant Luca didn't often reflect on what he could learn from difficult situations or accept them as part of life. His WHOQOL-BREF results showed:

• high psychological health: Luca felt mentally strong and confident.
• lower physical health: This is possibly due to urban stressors like noise or limited access to nature.
• moderate environmental health: He felt safe and had access to resources but did not always feel connected to his surroundings.

According to these results, Luca's emotional regulation style helped him stay upbeat, but he might benefit from deeper reflection and acceptance strategies to build long-term resilience.

Clara's Results

Clara, from a rural town, scored high in planning, rumination, and positive reassessment. She often thought deeply about her experiences, tried to learn from them, and made detailed plans to improve.

However, she also scored high in self-blame and rumination, which meant she sometimes got stuck in negative thought loops. Her WHOQOL-BREF results showed:

• high physical health: This is likely due to her active lifestyle and natural surroundings.
• lower psychological health: Despite her strengths, her tendency to self-blame affected her mental well-being.
• high environmental health: Clara felt safe, supported, and connected to her environment.

According to these results, Clara's thoughtful nature gave her strong coping tools, but her self-critical tendencies could undermine her confidence. Learning to balance reflection with self-compassion could improve her psychological health.

The coach explained that emotional regulation isn't about being perfect; it's about having a toolkit. Clara's strength in planning and reassessment could be paired with Luca's ability to refocus and stay positive. Together, they could learn from each other.

Measures of Improvement

After reviewing their survey results with their coach, Luca and Clara took time to reflect, not just on the numbers but on what those numbers meant for their lives, their training, and their mental health.

Luca was surprised to learn that his tendency to quickly shift focus away from stress (high positive refocusing) helped him stay upbeat but might also prevent him from fully processing difficult experiences. His lower scores in planning and positive reassessment suggested he could benefit from thinking more deeply about challenges and learning from them. His coach encouraged him to try journaling after competitions, not just to record wins and losses but to reflect on what he learned and how he felt.

Clara, on the other hand, saw her results as both validating and eye-opening. Her high scores in planning and positive reassessment confirmed her strength in strategic thinking and emotional insight. But her elevated self-blame and rumination scores revealed a pattern of overthinking and self-criticism. Her coach suggested practicing self-compassion techniques, like affirmations and cognitive reframing, to help her challenge negative self-talk and build emotional resilience.

Together, Luca and Clara realized that emotional regulation isn't just about controlling feelings; it's about understanding them, learning from them, and using them to grow. Their different strengths became a source of mutual support. Luca helped Clara lighten up during stressful moments, while Clara taught Luca how to dig deeper and reflect more meaningfully.

Self-Reflection Journey

Luca and Clara's journey through emotional regulation and self-reflection illustrates a powerful truth: Mental fitness is just as vital as physical endurance in high-performance sports. Their contrasting backgrounds and coping styles reveal how gender, environment, and personal habits shape not only how athletes handle stress but how they perceive their own well-being.

Through the lens of the CERQ and WHOQOL-BREF, students can see how psychological tools help decode the invisible forces behind performance: self-blame, planning, rumination, and resilience. Clara's strategic mindset and Luca's optimism each offer strengths but also highlight areas for growth. Their reflections show that emotional regulation isn't about suppressing feelings; it's about understanding them, adapting to them, and using them to thrive.

As future psychologists, educators, or coaches, students are invited to consider how emotional regulation strategies can be taught, practiced, and personalized. Whether in sports, academics, or everyday life, the ability to manage emotions thoughtfully is a cornerstone of quality of life.

References

The Economist. (2019, January 15). What makes elite athletes thrive or dive under pressure? [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/N8TBavtJu0o?si=i596chGDWik1IAVg

Rojo-Ramos, P., Galán-Arroyo, C., Gómez-Paniagua, S., Castillo-Paredes, A., & Rojo-Ramos, J. (2024). Emotional regulation and self-perceived quality of life in high-performance mountain sports athletes. Frontiers in Psychology, 15, Article 1370124. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1370124
This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC-BY 4.0).

Photo Credits

Shawn Tron on Adobe Stock. "Rock climber in a canyon, pressing between two walls."

Daniel on Adobe Stock. "Happy man with hands behind the head relaxing at home office taking a break feeling satisfaction. Copy space."

Юлия Лазебная on Adobe Stock. "Psychological problems and fatphobia. Sad woman looking at mirror. Depressed young girl with eating disorder, dysmorphophobia. Vector flat illustration. Dissatisfaction with body, weight, appearance."

psphotography on Adobe Stock. "close up of woman writing her journal."