Mental skills are an important, albeit underrated, contributor to athletic success and in this episode of Bit by Bit Erin McGuire addresses self-talk, which is the inner monologue in your head. Fun fact: It’s estimated that humans have between 60-80 thousand thoughts a day! Self-talk can be said aloud, but most often occurs in the confines of one’s mind. The thing about self-talk is that you are your own coach 24/7. You have limited interactions with your coach, family, friends, and competitors but your inner monologue runs around the clock. Self-talk can range from a single cue such as “look,” to a phrase “look up,” to a full sentence “look up at the ball.” Self-talk can be instructional “point your toes” or motivational “you can do this.” It can also be negative “don’t mess up” or “you can’t do this.”
How an athlete talks to themselves plays a key role in their success on and off the field.  Positive self-talk has been linked to increased self-confidence and overall emotional well-being. Negative self-talk gives insight to self-depreciating tendencies, decreased motivation, and negative emotional consequences. Talk to yourself the way you’d talk to a friend.
For show notes and related links for this episode click HERE.
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