Stop Thinking...Negatively

If I have learned one thing in my years of experience of being a trainer and coach, it is that mentality is everything when it comes to reaching true potential in fitness and sport, or anything in that matter. 

Recently, I blogged about a personal experience that I had with false perception of my ability and my actually ability.  A negative mentality almost caused me to give up and not believe in myself.  I was able to overcome this self-doubt by using thought stopping and centering.

I will try not to get to deep into the sport psychology of it all, but thought stopping and centering are two strategies used in attention control training (ACT) that assist in managing states of arousal.  ACT is designed to keep an athlete from falling into a trap of self-doubt and anxiety.  It helps to teach the athlete how to eliminate negative thoughts during performance.  In the book Sport Psychology: Concepts and Application, author Richard Cox stated that it is "critically important that the athlete learn to use attention to stop negative thoughts and to focus on positive thoughts" (2007).

I find that I, regularly, have to check myself to stay positive during workouts.  I know I'm not exaggerating when I say that I hear negative talk WAY TOO MUCH!  It's time to turn that frown upside down folks!

That is why I am going to give away a few pointers about thought stopping and centering right now.  Before I go on, understand that I did not make this up.  I am not trying to reinvent the wheel and I am not telling you anything that you can't research on your own.  What I want to do is give you some SIMPLE tips and about how to control your brain, because I truly believe that if you can change your thinking you can change your life (and kick ass at training too).  It is my professional opinion and belief that it's imperative that athletes approach every sport situation with a positive attitude and confidence in order to be successful.

First of all, what is thought stopping and centering?  Cox defines thought stopping as the process of stopping a negative thought and replacing it with a positive one. We can only give our full attention to one task at a time.  In this concept it is basically swapping the negative thought for a positive one.  When a positive thought takes over, the process of centering can takes place.  Centering involves directing one's thoughts internally (2007).  It is during this internal process of centering that an athlete makes the decision to adjust his or her state of arousal and attention.  Centering is as simple as taking a deep breath or focusing on a new external object in order to shift gears. 

There are four basic steps that you can use for thought stopping and centering:

1. Replace any negative thought that comes into your mind with a positive thought.
2. Center your attention internally while making small changes in your arousal.
3. Narrowly focus your attention externally on a task-relevant cue associated with proper form.
4. Attempt and execute the sport task ASAP once you feel a sense of attentional control.

Here's an example.

You walk into the gym and on the whiteboard  is one movement that you dread!  You know the one, it makes your heart race just thinking about it and sends your imagination into a tale spin.  For some people it's running a mile, for others it could be deadlifts, double unders, or box jumps.  Before you got to the box you were in a great mood and excited to workout, but now negative thoughts are coming out of the wood works.  All of the sudden your mind is thinking things like "I hate box jumps, I just can't jump on that thing" or "I'm horrible at deadlifts, I'm going to hurt myself" or what about "I suck at running, I'm going to be dead last on the board today."

Here is how you can apply these steps to help alleviate anxiety and toxic thoughts.  I will use the example of the deadlift, but feel free to tailor this for your own purposes.

1. Replace any negative thought with a positive thought-  Change the thought "I'm horrible at deadlifts, I'm going to hurt myself" to "Screw that! I'm stronger today than I was yesterday.  I'm going to kill this workout." 
2. Center your attention Internally- Take a few deep breaths, Make up a cue word or phrase that will change your focus like "Go!" "Calm down" "I'm strong!"
3. Narrowly focus your attention externally on a task-relevant cue associated with proper-  form- Think "keeping a tight flat back, weight in your heels, eyes on the horizon, now stand it up."
4. Attempt and execute the sport task ASAP once you feel attentional control- Once your attention has shifted and your thoughts are positive, attempt the skill immediately. 

Obviously, learning how to use thought stopping and centering effectively takes practice much like learning how to do double unders.  The vital point to learn here is that negative thoughts CAN be stopped, and by using the process of centering, our attention and thoughts can be controlled.  By using ACT it is possible to block out unwanted negative thoughts that can penetrate and pollute our minds causing self-doubt and anxiety.

Let's face it, our fun isn't always fun.  BUT that is no reason to be negative.  Maybe this can help you to move one step closer to defeating your fears and/or reaching your goals.

"Whether you think you can or whether you think you can't, you're right."   
~ Henry Ford 

References:

Cox, R. H.  (2007).  Sport Psychology: concepts and applications.  New York: McGraw-Hill.