I have recently climbed to Diamond from 2700 SR mainly using Ashe as I have been enjoying her as a replacement of my old main Soldier. I feel like I am doing great with her landing good dynamites and hitting great shots, but an issue I have is panic which makes me miss a lot of easy shots in a period of time while panic moving.
An example of this is earlier today I was defending Rialto first point and stood on the high ground as Ashe, I did not know why but I kept panicking completely during the first part of that point where I kept missing shots, after respawning I noticed my accuracy was at 13%. My accuracy went back up to around 40% shortly after. We stopped the enemies right after second point. On attack it went pretty good and we got the payload to the point and won the game.
I am not sure if I still have that replay saved/available from earlier today, as I played quite a lot of Mystery Heroes and a few comp matches. But I would love to go back and record it if is still available.
My question is: Is there ways to overcome panic attacks like the one mentioned in the beginning of that match? It hits me quite frequently where I just completely loose control of my aim/thinking and just panic.
Here is a post + VOD I did a month ago when I was Platinum at 2700 SR, hope it can give you an idea of what I am talking about.
The first step is realizing that you are having one. Arguably, that is the hardest part. Its so easy to be lost inside your own head and make excuses or let pride or fear prevent you from stopping and making a rational thought.
Once you’ve caught yourself there are a variety of things you can do, but each one is unique to the individual and there is no “Universal” approach.
I find stopping, taking several slow breaths and pep talking myself helps when I find that I am having a panic attack. I don’t get them during Overwatch, but usually when I’ve bottled up a lot of stress in life and it is finally taking its toll on my body (Don’t do this btw, its terrible for you and I’ve worked on breaking that habit).
Experiment with different things to account for your panic attacks. Perhaps even have a different DPI setting saved that works better for you in those moments.
For me its quite easy to realize that I am panicking and I completely admit its my fault when I miss tons of shots that ends a duel in a loss for our team.
I completely forget about these relaxing techniques when I have a panic attack, what is the best ways to train it to be able to apply it in more situations like these?
It takes a while and a lot of effort. But you can eventually just make it second nature. We unconsciously form habits that harm us all the time and we have to try our best to break those habits and form healthier ones.
Its only possible with repeated effort and a strong will.
Doctor here (well, my field is Public Health and Preventive Medicine, but I know about this).
Focus on your breath rythm after noticing this.
Keep your mind in your respiratory frecquency is better than focusing in your cardiac frecquency, because you can control your lungs and not the heart.
By controlling hour breathing, you can break the feel nervous->increase breathing->NOTICE BREATHING-> FEEL NERVOUS… cycle.
So, if you notice you are doing bat, relax a couple seconds after respawning.
The only time in my life where I felt I had panic attacks was when my life was “easy” from an outsiders perspective. Get more duties or more things that require you to take action and panic attacks will declines as you really do get to the point where you don’t have enough bleeps to give so you just stop giving them.
Panic attacks are an extreme show of anxiety. The best optiona psychologist would tell you is to train abdominal breathing, this breathing basically consist in stopping placing a hand on your stomach and inhale deeply and slowly and exhale using your mouth after a second, realizing how your stomach inflates. In anxiety that physiological control has, usually a fast effect and feedback to reduce the panic attack and avoid hyperventilating.
In any case you have to realize that your approach to the game is not healthy and will have to work with it, not cause of the game that, excuse me to say this…but has not so much importance, and basically none in comparison with your health.
If you find this type of attacks generalized can be due to high stress anxiety and so, you should contact for a proffesional. Only thing we can do here is to advice the breathing as is a technique fast and used most in those cases…and in another order “cognitive” work with your thoughts and behaviours to take the situation you refer as less a source of anxiety than in the past. Basically as long term realizing what are your thoughts and beahviours before they happen and to realize that they are not positive, do not have a positive effect and stop them if needed.
For more information about anxiety please, remember that there are psychologist and proffesionals that can treat your case, as many others and help you much better than anyone in the forums. In any case I hope this have helped you abit, just take into consideration that this kind of forums no one serious or proffesional would give you a long term solution or would be really unproffesional if they pretend to treat a case by writting in internet.
that helps a lot as it is the abdominal breathing and realxation that has an inmedeate feedback. Also prevents the patient with panic attacks to hyperventilating by breathing too fast that can cause him to lose counscious.
But yeah even if that technique is directed to reduce the symptoms, it cannot be used to erase the source of stress or to approach and learn how to deal with situations effectively and prevent them.
I did not mean that kind of panic attack, more like I get taken by surprise by Moira as Ashe then I start panicking and thinking: “I am going to die very soon if I cant kill her” and similar thoughts
I actually had a crap ton of these before now they are going down alil. the best way is to tell your self ok this is fine I can do this when you notice that you are over heating or you cant think. When I play genji and I die i freak out then I remember I am only human and gold dps let me just remember that I am not gonna hit 100% of my shurikens and I am not gonna stay alive forever. then I actually start doing good. that is what I do when I play dps.
Unfortunately I don’t think there’s a quick fix, but I find myself getting anxious in competitive all the time, and it throws my aim off. It’s the reason I barely play the mode.
My recommendation would be to focus on breathing, Before you start the match, and before a fight starts, take slow breaths, to lower your heartrate and reduce your chances of having one.
Another thing to remember is that it’s just a game - you’ll likely subconsciously be thinking that the impact of losing a duel, or losing a fight, or a game, is greater than it actually is - that realisation without you consciously being aware of it can cause issues - and I think that’s the main reason I get shaky, and nervous in competitive. There isn’t an easy way to change your mindset, other than constantly telling yourself that it doesn’t matter.
What i usually do, is trying not to linger too much on a past mistake. Often times, missing a shot or two will result you having a more panicky shooting during your next encounter.
Try to relax and stop focusing on mistakes. When you think you’re failing, try to take a bit more time and land shots more accurately. Don’t push it. Don’t worry about it.
That’s pretty much all you can do, besides practicing and getting used to it.
^If this happens
I’d tell myself " They play Moira, I’m always better than them, even with 1% accuracy"
I don’t take this game seriously anymore dude, try your best and have fun
This doesn’t affect you IRL