October 5, 2023
Unlike the common belief, stress and anxiety are perfectly normal responses if they occur outside of anxiety disorders. From an evolutionary perspective, these emotions helped us recognize danger and thus survive. That being said, our brain’s fight, flight, or freeze response can often be a disturbance in our modern daily lives.
As gamers competing with others in our favorite titles, we often feel the high stakes of ranked matches. We deeply care about improving ourselves, achieving victory, and climbing the in-game ladder. With this concoction of ambition and competition, anxiety arises quickly. I have also experienced a ton of it in my Overwatch and Valorant matches. I am not a professional in this field, nor will all of this information suit your unique situation. However, here are a few tips for you to consider when struggling with ranked-related anxiety!
Identify What Triggers Your Anxiety
Let us start with the groundwork: the cause of your anxiety. You might think that is silly because you already know that ranked games cause your anxiety. But I recommend that you get in touch with your emotions (although that can be intimidating) and find out when exactly you experience anxiety during a ranked match. That could, for example, be:
- When you get notified about a found match,
- During the loading screen,
- During the first interaction with your team,
- During intense game moments.
In the next step, explore why you feel anxious in this/those exact situation/s. Is it, for instance:
- The intense game music,
- The fear of disappointing your teammates,
- Loud in-game sounds,
- Self-doubts, or
- Social discomfort?
Finally, you can use these insights to possibly avoid your anxiety triggers altogether. For example, you can lower the sound effects and game music volume or even disable the latter. In addition, you can play relaxing music while waiting for the game to start. And even if these cases do not apply to you, you can use this gained knowledge to choose suitable coping strategies.
Ease Yourself Into It
Anxiety may originate from an irrational thought, but that does not make it any less valid. So, when you game, know that it is okay to take a break when things get too uncomfortable for you. It is okay if you are only comfortable with a few ranked games per session. Dealing with anxiety is a lot about acknowledging your discomfort thresholds and being empathetic towards yourself. It takes time to develop successful coping strategies.
Moreover, your process will probably not be linear. On some days, you can complete all your placement games in one go. On others, you might want to stop after one match. But if you continue practicing your strategies, you will notice an improvement in the long term. Here is an example from my unique experience: Around Valorant’s release, I could only handle about 1.5 hours of game time, and I would feel emotionally drained and physically exhausted afterward. However, two years later, I still feel energetic after a 3+ hour game session.
Practice Relaxation Techniques
Relaxation techniques lower your heart rate, calm your thoughts, and can have a positive long-term effect on your ability to cope with stressful situations. Thus, they are great tools if you struggle with ranked anxiety! On top of that, there are various techniques to experiment with to ensure you find something fitting for you.
Meditation
One of the most common ways of practicing mindfulness is meditation. This technique relaxes your mind and body by helping you focus on the present moment. You achieve this by directing your focus on your breath or a mantra. However, our mind is not accustomed to this kind of thinking, so guided meditations are recommended for beginners. Thankfully, there are tons of free guided meditations available on YouTube, such as this one:
Breathing techniques
Tactical Breathing, used by NAVY Seals, is a popular breathing technique. It is an excellent alternative to meditation. It can be practiced in almost every setting (also during ranked games) while achieving similar short-term results as meditation. In the case of Tactical Breathing you:
- Inhale through your nose for four seconds,
- Hold your breath for four seconds,
- Exhale through your mouth for four seconds, and
- Hold your breath at the bottom of the exhale for four seconds.
- Then repeat all steps.
Find more information on the origins and benefits of Tactical Breathing in CS:GO and Valorant coach dayV1D’s Twitter thread on the topic!
Positive Affirmations
Positive affirmations can effectively slow down negative thought patterns depending on what triggers your anxiety. For instance, if you are worried about not being good enough, the phrase “I am good enough” might ease your performance anxiety. Of course, the effectiveness of an affirmation will always vary for you, but here are some of my favorite ones:
- I am confident in my ability to handle every situation that arises.
- I am proud of how much I have improved thus far.
- I am doing enough.
- I am a valuable contributor to my team.
Positive affirmations can further be implemented in lots of different ways. You may:
- Repeat them out loud to yourself,
- Write them down in a journal,
- Display them on graphics and post-it notes,
- Or use them as mantras for your meditation practice.
Conclusion
When it comes to ranked anxiety, you are not alone. Many of us are on a journey of acknowledging and dealing with this emotion. Fortunately, you have many options to ease your anxiety and improve your quality of life and game performance. I hope my tips helped you take care of your mental health. Know that even reading this article is an act of self-care that you can be proud of!