Severe professional athletes commit hours to conditioning, refining skills, improving strategies for their specific sport, and practice, practice, practice. And it’s true that physical training– and intrinsic skill– can take a professional athlete far. Another needed part of optimizing your athletic potential is having the right mindset.
Why Attitude Is Important in Sports
If you’re an athlete or delight in competitive sports, establishing a favorable psychological mindset can help offer you an edge. Feelings, both delighted and sad, can impact cognitive performance (how well you think) along with your energy level and other elements of your physical efficiency.
When negativity rules the day– since you’re dealing with an injury, state, or being slammed by your coach– it can be really tough to attract the optimism that can assist you prosper. If you ‘d like to take your sports efficiency to the next level, attempt some of these psychological techniques for reversing negativity and getting rid of self-limiting beliefs.
Improve Your Mood
If you’re in a state of aggravation or afflicted by a cynical perspective, you may be able to produce a shift by getting yourself into a better mood. Rather than dwell on whatever issues or problems are getting you down– perhaps you’ve hit a snag in your training, or you have a losing streak– do something that you know will raise your spirits, even if you don’t seem like it.
Crank up some uplifting music
Check out some of the top sports psychology books
Get together with or phone a friend who’s always uplifting
Play with your kids
Head to the dog park and see the pups at play
Work on a pastime
Take a relaxing bath with a book
Fix Your Mood Fast
Close your eyes and think of a person, place, or thing that constantly makes you feel happy and hopeful. Just imagining that might suffice to alter your state of mind– which, in turn, will change your mind. Because the old saying “Feel great, look excellent, play good” applies, attempt utilizing an excellent sports laundry cleaning agent.
Take a Time Out
Negativeness doesn’t always originate from an internal or individual source. Frequently we discover ourselves being deeply impacted by horrible things we hear or check out or by troubling images we see on tv or social media.
It’s all too easy to allow these sorts of things to permeate into our own minds and surpass our psychological and emotional state. Naturally, it’s essential to keep up with present events, however it’s similarly essential to secure ourselves from overdosing on disturbing details.
Whenever you need a psychological reset, and especially before a hard workout or competitors, take a break from the news. Avoid looking for updates on your phone or “doomscrolling” through your social media feeds. Rather, read an article or enjoy a documentary about a motivating athlete, or sidetrack yourself with a funny.
Speak to Yourself
Continuous research in sports psychology reveals that practicing favorable self-talk can considerably improve athletic performance.1 Sports psychologists often discuss this link by pointing to the concept that ideas create beliefs, which eventually drive actions.
Use Positive Self-Talk
Favorable self-talk can take several kinds. For some individuals, reciting a mantra– a particular expression or sentence, and even a single word– is an effective way to handle thoughts and quash the negativity that can get in the way of optimum efficiency. Your mantra can be anything that influences you, such as:
Power
Focus
I can do it
I’m prepared for this
Research study shows that positive self-talk helps reduce stress and anxiety and increases self-esteem, self-optimization, self-efficacy, and efficiency.1 Consistently practicing favorable self-talk for the long-term is more efficient than short-term training, so making this practice a routine part of your regimen is important.
Try Visualization
A similar method is utilizing visualization workouts. This basically implies imagining a situation in which you’re contending and succeeding.2 Use all your senses– envision the sound of the crowd cheering, the odor in the air, how the ground feels under your feet, or how the ball feels in your hands. There is some truth to the concept that if you can think it, you can do it, so use this knowledge when you complete.
