Pulling out of Slumps

It happens to everyone at some point. You're at the top of your game, feeling unstoppable. You've just clutched the last 3 rounds, it seems no one can take away your momentum. Then your enemy gets a lucky head-shot on you, then another, and another.
Suddenly you find yourself doubting your abilities and believing your opponent is better than you. So you get scared, start moving slower, and no matter what you do, can't get a kill. From this point on you're making stupid mistakes because of your lack of confidence. Welcome to the world of slumps in Counter-strike.

Why do i go through slumps?

Every good player knows that slumps are part of being a gamer. No one on this earth is able to play a perfect game forever. Slumps derive from a lack of confidence caused by a variety of reasons. Below is a list of reasons as to why people fall into slumps and solutions to prevent them from happening in the first place. Although these solutions are obvious, knowing why you're in a slump is the most important thing to getting out of one.

• Over-playing - If you play too long, you'll stop caring if you live or die in the game. Most gamers play their best soon after they start playing. The reason for this is that they value their life much more when they start because they haven't died yet. Once death becomes a regular occurrence, they take chances they normally wouldn't have.
  Solution: Take regular breaks

• Fatigue - Playing tired is a great recipe to make stupid mistakes.
  Solution: Don't play tired

• Stress - Similar to fatigue, stress will cause your mind to wander and you will not be as focused as someone who is relaxed.
  Solution: Go the the gym, or find other ways to release that stress.

• Improper Diet - Having poor nutrition is a great way to be bad at Counter-Strike. Low blood sugar or jittery reflexes don't mix with competitive gaming.
  Solution: Eat something dammit.

• Negative Emotions - Being fearful, angry or nervous will cause you to play bad. People who get nervous, angry, or scared, fall deeper and deeper into slumps that they do not know how to recover from.
  Solution: Control your emotions. For example, when angry, don't let other people intimidate you. The only reason they're trying to convince you that you're bad is to boost their own confidence and shred yours. When nervous, try to relax, if you're the last one alive and remain calm.

Shifting your momentum

As you can see from the above, the best way to pull out of slumps are to prevent them in the first place. It's much easier to quit when you're playing bad than to try and figure out why you are playing bad. The truly great players are able to recover from slumps quickly because they recognize why they are playing bad without putting too much pressure on themselves for playing bad.

Can you think of any more suggestions to pulling out of slumps? Feel free to share.