There's Nothing to Fear but Fear Itself

The most recent episode of South Park, Insheeption, Stan and Mr. Mackey are found to be hoarders because they refuse to get rid of anything. In order to deal with their problem, they are sent into their own subconscious to uncover the past that explains their behavior. In the case of Mr. Mackey, he uncovered a troublesome event in his past that explained his disposal fear. A Behavioral Modification study, “The Impact of Acceptance-Based versus Avoidance-Based Protocols on Discomfort”, dealt with the impact of facing problems head-on instead of hiding them in the closet. All in all, it proves that if you accept the challenge, then you'll do better.
According to the study by Luciano, Molina, Gutierrez-Martinez, Barnes-Holmes, Valdivia-Salas, Cabello, Barnes-Holmes, Rodriguez-Valverde, and Wilson, the way humans react is a result of their personal experiences. For example, if a person experienced a bad event at a concert, then they will associate concerts with the bad memories and not enjoy the experience. Many experts agree avoiding the problem will have a negative impact. Evidence also shows accepting the past is beneficial. In laboratory studies, acceptance shows an increased pain tolerance.
In the experiment, the scientists were using headphones to play loud noises for participants while they attempted to perform computer tasks. Four main conditions were used. For the first one, the acceptance-based protocol was that performance could continue even with the noise being present and the avoidance-based protocol was that they stopped work until the noise was gone. The second reversed the order. The third and fourth presented the tasks without the protocols.
So, what happened in the experiment? The first acceptance-based protocol produced the least discomfort, especially when it was before the subjects had experience in trying to control discomfort. This reveals that they were able to overcome the problem most easily by facing the problem initially instead of trying to get rid of the noise. In other words, by accepting the problem and working in spite of it will be better than trying to eliminate the source.
How does this relate to athletes like you and me? As a cheerleader and a gymnast, I face “mental-blocks”, or a fear to perform a particular move because of a past failure or a fear of failure. This hinders me from performing my best. However, as proven by the experiment, facing my fears and dealing with the past trauma immediately will allow me to improve my skills. By overcoming your fears, you will not only improve your abilities while gaining confidence, which we all know is key to doing our best!

Works Cited
Luciano, , and Molina. "The Impact of Acceptance-Based Versus Avoidance-Based Protocol on Discomfort." Sage Publications 34.2 (2010): 94-119. Web. 2 Nov 2010. .