Mind Control is Real: Learn how with Mindfulness

Are you feeling held hostage by your own thoughts?  Are you fighting with the little voice in your head that says you CAN’T do it when you know you CAN?  Are your own thoughts making you feel frustrated, demotivated or stressed?

If you answered yes to any of these questions don’t worry, because you are in good company.  Many people struggle with this exact problem, but the good news is that you don’t have struggle anymore!  Give yourself the GIFT of Mindfulness just in time for the Holidays! Ho Ho Ho your way to a healthier and happier you!

Mindfulness is a mental (cognitive) relaxation technique that separates you from your own thoughts, allows you to view them in a nonjudgmental way and simply choose not to listen to them.  Mindfulness allows you to focus on the mind instead of the body. It is shown to reduce emotional distress by modulating and control thoughts of negativity, pain, and emotions.  A relaxed mind will lead to a relaxed body and ultimately improved attention on the task at hand and away from the stress of the injury or the exercise. 

Mindfulness, as defined by Cottraux (2007), is a mental state resulting from voluntarily focusing one’s attention on the present experience in its sensorial, mental, cognitive and emotional aspects, in a non-judgmental way.  This is to say that you can detach yourself from your own thoughts and accept or not accept that thought as truth.  Mindfulness can be used at any time, but is most effective if practiced.

Instructions for the Successful use of Mindfulness

• Give yourself time to complete the exercise. (Take a slow breath in between prompts).
• Remind yourself that your thoughts are your own and you can choose to ignore them, believe them, or discard them as you wish.
• Look at your thoughts without judgement.  They are just thoughts, nothing more and nothing else.
• Maintain a passive attitude, permit relaxation to occur. When distracting thoughts occur, remember to return your concentration to your mindfulness and exercise at hand.  
• Practice mindfulness in any situation.

Purpose:

Mindfulness is useful in drawing one’s focus to the sport or rehabilitation exercise to ensure correct execution of movements and to gain maximum benefits. Mindfulness can be used to allow emotions such as frustration, anger, and boredom to occur and pass on since they are viewed in a non-judgmental way. Mindfulness is allows you to remain focused on the present and achieve a relaxed state of mind and body while becoming more aware of the situation.

Exercise:  Use this exercise on yourself or an athlete that you might be working with.

Step 1: Isolate and confront the negative thought you are having.  Say the thought aloud.  A common thought during rehabilitation of an injury, for example is: “I am horrible at this exercise”.  You can distance yourself from that thought and choose not to believe it.

Step 2: Focus your attention on the present experience.  Take a deep breath.  On the inhale, pull in all the stress and negativity of the exercise and the day.  On the exhale release all of the tension and stress leaving only the task at hand.  – Repeat as necessary throughout the exercise to retain or regain focus.

Step 3: Say the original negative thought aloud. “I am horrible at this exercise,” say the thought slowly and focus only on this thought in this moment. Repeat three times.

Step 4: Add the phrase “I am having a thought” in front of the original thought so that it is said aloud with a pause in between the phrases.

“I am having a thought ….. that I am horrible at this exercise.”  Repeat three times.

Step 5: Distance yourself even further from the negative thought by adding the phrase. “I realize that in front of the first two phrases.

“I realize that .... I am having a thought ….. that I am horrible at this exercise”.  Repeat three times.  

Step 6: Now you can look at the thought in a nonjudgmental way, choose not to believe the thought, simply let it go, and refocus on the exercise.  You CAN do this!

How does it work?

By adding these two phrases, you have effectively detached yourself from the thought and have made it less personal.  You have effectively viewed the thought in a non-judgmental way and can simply choose not to believe the thought or to stop the thought and replace it with another aiding in your stress management and relaxation. 

Remember that we can control our own thoughts by acknowledging that they are just that, thoughts and NOT always truths.

For more information:

Arvinen-Barrow, M., & Walker, N. (2013). The psychology of sport injury and rehabilitation. In M. Arvinen-Barrow, & N. Walker (Eds.), The Psychology of Sport Injury and Rehabilitation (pp. 87-99). New York, New York: Routledge.

McCanny, C. (2015). The application of mindfulness practice in sport. Retrieved from http://www.thesportinmind.com/articles/the-application-of-mindfulness-practice-to-sport/

Captain Whitney Cissell

Bowling Green State University