Self-talk can calm nerves before competition

Nerves are a natural phenomenon for athletes.

I always was a nervous Nellie getting ready to step up on the starting block for swimming competition. Sports or public speaking almost always made me sick to my stomach.

Sport psychologist Dan Abrahams said “research suggests that the language centers of our brain control the insides of our body, linking with heart rate, the release of glucose, the type of hormones streaming through the blood stream. Words are powerful — we have the ability to use our words to change the external world we see in front of us and the internal world we experience within us.”

Instead of fearing our nerves, Abrahams said we should accept and embrace our nerves and find a way to deal with them by changing our own story. Say to yourself that, “Nerves are not so scary. They’re not so overwhelming. I can still run and move and scan and pass and shoot … with these feelings.”

There, your story has changed.

Sounds easy, right? But changing your story takes skill. The more you practice it, the better you get at it, just like when giving a speech.

Former Iowa State and professional basketball player — and current teacher, writer and speaker about mental training, Lindsey Wilson — said self-talk “serves as the basis for so many things in our lives: our beliefs, our outlook, our confidence, how we interact with others…”

Her research showed:

* Positive self-talk can improve confidence.

* Positive self-talk positively does affect performance.

* Self-talk affects motor skill performance more than cognitive performance.

* Self-talk is best scripted ahead of time and practiced.

* Addressing yourself by name or “you” is found to be more powerful than “I” statements.

* Self-talk should focus on what you should do rather than what you should not do.

There are four kinds of self-talk.

* Calming/relaxing (take a deep breath).

* Instructional (bend your knees). Most helpful for tasks requiring fine skills or for improving technique.

* Motivational (yes, come on, let’s go!). Seems to be more effective in tasks requiring strength or endurance, boosting confidence and psyching-up athletes for competition.

* Focus (don’t think about anything, just concentrate).

Wilson gives some tips for effective positive self-talk:

* Self-talk should be practiced ahead of time (not during competition).

* Focus should be less about negative or positive, or good/bad self-talk, and more about what is productive for athletes in certain situations.

* Different situations may call for different types of self-talk.

* Self-talk is going to happen for good or bad, regardless of whether you work on it. Knowing that, you might as well make the monologue in your head helpful and positive.

Abrahams said one effective way to help you change our story is to “zoom out.”

“When we’re anxious or stressed or engulfed in unhelpful thinking we tend to ‘zoom in’ on the problem,” he said. “We elaborate on the detail. We shine a light on what’s wrong and we turn up the volume of the accompanying negative emotion.

“Zoom out! Step outside of yourself and examine your feelings and behaviors from afar. By slightly dissociating from the situation, you give yourself a better chance to weave an improved story.”

Nancy Justis is a partner with Justis Creative Communications and the founder of Iowa Youth Sports Initiative. Contact her at najustis120150@gmail.com