The 'window of tolerance' — a concept from trauma therapy — explains why sport and competition pushes us into states where we can't function well, and how to expand our capacity.
What Is the Window of Tolerance?
The window of tolerance is the zone of arousal in which we function optimally. Outside it:
- Hyperarousal (sport and competition 'too high'): Panic, overwhelm, rage, anxiety — above the window
- Hypoarousal (sport and competition 'too low'): Numbness, dissociation, shutdown, depression — below the window
How Sport and Competition Narrows the Window
Trauma and chronic sport and competition narrow the window of tolerance, making us more easily triggered into dysregulated states by smaller stimuli.
Widening Your Window with Sport and Competition
Trauma-informed therapy specifically works to widen the window of tolerance — building capacity to experience sport and competition triggers without dysregulation.
Titrated exposure (small doses of difficult material), somatic practices, and skill-building all contribute to window expansion.