Anxiety, physical activity and public performance: an interpretative phenomenological analysis of amateur gymnasts’ competition experiences

Individuals experiencing elevated levels of anxiety have, for some time, been of significant concern for healthcare researchers and practitioners. Physical activity is, meanwhile, often viewed as constructive for anxiety-release. When physical activity and its public performance merge, however, anxiety and anxiety-release can come into contradiction. In this paper, an interpretative phenomenological analysis of N=6 amateur gymnasts’ experiences of anxiety around public performance are explored, with a view to elucidating some psychological issues around practical, everyday performance-stress.