The Power of Self-Talk: The Science Behind Positive Affirmations
What You Will Learn:
The science behind the Cognitive Behavioral Theory (CBT) and how it connects your thoughts directly to your physical output.
Why shifting from automatic negative thoughts (ANTs) to action-oriented commitments creates a roadmap for success.
The 3-step process to build effective affirmations through the auditing of negative thoughts and replacing them with a high-intent, performance-based approach.
Best practice when it comes to developing and implementing positive affirmation to positively impact performance.
“I need a killer out of you!”
This is exactly what one of my college teammates, and fellow co-captains, told me in the above picture.
This was before my first at bat in the first round of our conference playoffs during our Senior year.
This was arguably the biggest game of our career up to this point, and while I had been a little up and down going into this game, he knew exactly what I needed to hear.
He knew my biggest enemy was my own head - where I spent more time worrying about letting the team down rather than playing with the confidence I deserved because of all my hard work and preparation.
It was at this very moment that I flipped a switch in my mental approach. My self-talk went from “don’t let the team down” to “no one is more prepared than you for this moment”.
And it showed.
I continued to go 12-16 throughout the playoffs, and set the conference record for batting average in a single post-season.
It’s proof that how you talk to yourself has a direct correlation to your performance - both for the good and for the bad.
It is this mental approach that separates the good from the great.
Now, it’s time to dive into the science of how you do this for yourself.
Self-Talk
Self-talk is defined as the internal dialogue that occurs consciously or subconsciously, influencing emotions, behaviors, and your overall mindset (Beck, 2011). In the context of sport psychology, this dialogue is often categorized into two types: Motivational (enhancing confidence through motivational means) and Instructional (focusing on technical expression and mechanics).
Research has consistently linked positive self-talk to improved focus, emotional regulation, and peak athletic performance (Tod, Hardy & Oliver, 2011). This isn't just about "thinking happy thoughts” and being nice to yourself. Self-talk is grounded in a strategy known as Cognitive Behavioral Theory (CBT), which explains that our thoughts directly dictate our feelings and subsequent physical actions. When you change the narrative, you have the ability to directly change your physiological output.
The "I Will" Framework
A great, and recent, example of effective self-talk in action can be seen in the coaching philosophy of National Champion UCLA Women’s Basketball Coach Cori Close. Coach Close emphasizes the use of "I will…" statements to drive performance for her players, and how this contributed to their success throughout the season.
Click here to see her interview after the National Championship game:
By utilizing "I will…" statements, you create an actionable and controllable commitment to your pursuit of success - whatever success may mean to you. This refers to the instructional self-talk we spoke about earlier, where you internally, or outwardly, repeat short, positive statements that help draw your focus to what you can control and what you want to achieve. These statements, known as affirmations, serve as a roadmap for what is needed to be done to maximize your chances for success. It is this intentional focus that allows you to remain process-oriented on their actions that will contribute to achieving their goal. Utilizing these affirmations reinforces your self-efficacy, the fundamental belief in your ability to succeed, which remains a primary indicator of your athletic success (Bandura, 1997; Zourbanos et al., 2011).
Engineering the Perfect Affirmation: A Step-by-Step Guide
To make affirmations effective, they cannot be designed or practiced at random. They must be developed through the use of the following step-step process to allow them to be most beneficial towards positively impacting your performance.
Step #1: Identify the Automatic Negative Thought (ANT)
Awareness is the first step in the development of effective affirmations. You must recognize when your internal thoughts shift towards self-criticism or doubt before you can redesign these thoughts into positive affirmations.
Step #2: Keep it in the Present and Positive
Avoid "don't" statements. The brain struggles to process the negative of a command (e.g., "Don't miss" often leads to focusing on the miss). Instead, use proactive, affirmative language. These statements should confirm actions and behaviors that are in your control, and speak towards success versus the avoidance of failure.
Step #3: Focus on Your Performance
Root your affirmations in controllable actions. This creates a neurological link between your own words and the physical skills needed to pursue success. Affirmations are most effective when they are tied to a specific movement or outcome (Hardy, 2006). These affirmations can come in the form of either motivational or instructional self-talk.
Affirmations Best Practice
Affirmations are like any other skill—they require deliberate practice. You wouldn't expect to set a new max on a squat without training, and likewise, you cannot expect developing mental resilience without practicing self-talk and developing affirmations.
When it comes to getting the most out of positive self-talk and affirmations, consider the following factors.
Speak with Respect: Treat yourself with the same dignity and encouragement you would offer a teammate. The more you respect yourself, the more you will believe in what you are telling yourself.
Consistency: Recite your instructional or motivational self-talk statements or positive affirmations during your training and competition to allow it the opportunity to positively impact your performance. Like any skill, the more work you put in, the better you become at executing that skill.
Acceptance: Understand that affirmations aren't meant to ignore reality. They are meant to help you acknowledge effort, progress, and accept mistakes as opportunities for growth. We don’t use these self-talk or affirmation strategies to create unrealistic expectations. We simply utilize them to reinforce our preparation, and our ability to perform to the best of our ability.
By taking control of your internal dialogue, you stop falling victim to your own personal self-doubt, and you start pursuing the best version of the athlete, and person, you have the ability to become.
Now that you have read through the importance of self-talk and creating positive affirmations, here is a deliberate practice activity to help you develop this skill in a way that will be individual to you. This is an example of the types of activities we have included in The H.A.R.D Athlete Blueprint: Elevating Mental Performance.
Exercise: Write down three examples of positive and negative self-talk. These examples can either be from this module or something you have used in the past.
Positive Self-Talk | Negative Self-Talk |
Reframe the negative self-talk examples you provided below:
Reframed Positive Thought | |
Reflection Questions:
1.1) How do you think your performance, confidence, and focus would change if you shifted to more positive self-talk?
1.2) Which negative thought patterns do you find yourself repeating the most?
1.3) How do you plan on reframing these patterns into positive self-talk?
1.4) What is one phrase you would like to begin using to support your performance?
If you would like to learn more about elevating your mental performance, click the link below to access The H.A.R.D Athlete Blueprint.
References
Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. W.H. Freeman and Company.
Beck, A. T. (2011). Cognitive behavior therapy: Basics and beyond. Guilford Press.
Hardy, J. (2006). Speaking clearly: A critical review of the self-talk literature. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 7(1), 81-97.
Tod, D., Hardy, J., & Oliver, E. (2011). Effects of self-talk: A systematic review. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 33(5), 666-687.
Zourbanos, N., et al. (2011). Self-talk and dynamic aspects of self-regulation in sport. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology.
Comments