The average person has 60,000 thoughts per day of which 80% are counterproductive to the task at hand. The key is to focus those thoughts towards your task and leverage their power to produce effective results.
The word thought is defined as “reasoning power” and it is the power of our thoughts that produces changes in our emotions. The word emotion derives from the Latin "emovere" which means to stir up or agitate, and what gets stirred up or agitated by our emotions is our physiology. When our physiology is impacted we can see differences in posture, gait, heart rate, respiration rate, vision, and strength to name a few. Thoughts ------->Emotions------->Physiology-------->Performance Our ability to control this process is crucial to success and failure. When people under-perform at a task, mission, or sport predictable pattern emerges of counterproductive thoughts, feelings of anxiety or stress, undesirable changes in physiology, which lead to a negative performance outcome. In contrast when people perform their best it is because they leverage this process to their advantage. Great performers learn to do this so well, they often describe being in the “zone” or “not thinking” because they are so engaged in the activity. This morning someone described difficulty getting started with their training. There are a number of strategies you could employ. One of the easiest and most research supported strategies is to formulate your goals using if-then planning. If-Then planning allows you to know where and when you will accomplish your goal.
It’s very simple and easy to use. The formula is: If X happens then I will do Y. For example: If it is Monday morning I will go to the gym for an hour and workout. This works because it utilizes your brain’s natural thought process that scans for information related to the if portion. Once it makes the connection the plan begins to take place even subconsciously at times. One study looked at people who had the goal of becoming regular exercisers. Half the participants were asked to plan where and when they would exercise each week (e.g., “If it is Monday, Wednesday, or Friday, then I will hit the gym for an hour before work.”) The results were dramatic: months later, 91% of if-then planners were still exercising regularly, compared to only 39% of non-planners. (For more information check out http://99u.com/…/how-to-use-if-then-planning-to-achieve-any…) New article posted today on 3 strategies to reduce stress and increase athletic performance. The article explores progressive muscle relaxation, yoga, and mindfulness.
Last month Mindful.org published a great article by Sharon Begley breaking down why choking occurs under pressure and strategies to avoid it. Some of the highlights:
WHY DO PEOPLE CHOKE?
As has been noted in previous posts when a skill is well learned there should be less activation of the prefrontal cortex the area of the brain charged with higher level thinking including judgement, analysis, and problem solving. However, when we consciously focus on a task we engage this part of the brain shifting from a trusting mindset to a training mindset. This not only slows athletes down but creates a momentary gap between their genuine ability and their present capability. HOW TO AVOID CHOKING?
30 semi-professional soccer players who squeezed a ball with their left hand performed as well before a crowd as during practice, while non-squeezers missed more shots in the pressure situation. Similar tests performed on judo experts and badminton aces showed similar effects.
According to choking researcher Sian Bielock, who literally wrote the book on choking, singing activates areas of the brain that limit the impact of ruminating thoughts. A third strategy meditation was briefly discussed , but that topic will be explored in more detail in a future post. Choking can impact anyone at anytime and it is useful to have a strategy in place to defend against it. Even better is to have a strategy that you have put into practice purposefully. |