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What is Visualization in Sports?

May 30, 2023/in Mental Fitness, Science, Training Tips /by Matthew Mace

“When I train, one of the things I concentrate on is creating a mental picture of how best to deliver that ball to a team-mate, preferably leaving him alone in front of the rival goalkeeper. So what I do, always before a game, always, every night and every day, is try and think up things, imagine plays which no one else will have thought of, and to do so always bearing in mind the particular strengths of each team-mate to whom I am passing the ball. When I construct those plays in my mind, I take into account whether one team-mate likes to receive the ball at his feet, or ahead of him; if he is good with his head, and how he prefers to head the ball; if he is stronger on his right or his left foot. That is my job. That is what I do. I imagine the game.”
– Ronaldinho, Professional Football Player.

Back in 2006, Ronaldinho, who played for FC Barcelona and his home country Brazil at the time, was interviewed on how he used imagery before the world cup in a piece for the New York Times Magazine; the above quote was his response [1]. It’s an excellent — and real — example of how Elite athletes use visualization in sports.

This blog post will explain what visualization is in sports, what it’s used for, more real-life examples, and tips to get started.

What is visualization?

Visualization involves creating vivid mental images of performance. For example, that could be something as simple as a pass, a free kick, a free throw, or a successful swing in golf. Practicing visualization and mental skills can help increase self-confidence, reduce anxiety before competition, and improve overall performance [1,2].

But why is mental imagery so powerful? When done correctly, visualization activates neural pathways in the brain — the same pathways that are activated during physical performance. Regular visualization practice can help strengthen these neural pathways to improve performance and lessen anxiety (alongside many other benefits discussed below).

What are the benefits of visualization in sports?

We’ve highlighted several benefits of mental imagery and visualization already, but other benefits include:

Improve confidence & focus
Reduce anxiety
Optimize muscle memory
Build mental toughness (visualize overcoming mental obstacles)
Improve goal setting

Visualization might also prove to be an effective mental skill for injured athletes. These athletes can mentally rehearse performance (even though they can’t play) and use visualization and other mental skills to set goals to help with their recovery.

There’s a reason why the best athletes use visualization — so why shouldn’t you do the same? Add visualization exercises to your training and see how it can improve your performance and mental preparation for competition.

And once you’ve got the hang of visualization, why not move on to other mental skills?

Examples of mental imagery

“Visualization lets you concentrate on all the positive aspects of your game.” – Curtis Strange, American Professional Golfer.

Mental skills and visualization are only becoming more popular. In recent years, every sports team has invested in a psychologist — or a team of psychologists — and athletes can be found practicing a cocktail of mental skills before practice.

So we’ve gathered together other examples of mental imagery and visualization, one from an Olympic gymnast and another from Tiger Woods. Let’s hear from Makalya Stambaugh, a 6x Olympic junior gymnastics champion:

“Visualization is something I use to calm my nerves. I did something like that before, but when I came to Oregon State, they really helped me hone in on those skills of actually picturing the bar routine, the movement, and think the exact same thoughts you would be doing it. That makes me more prepared and confident when I compete.”

And now, let’s talk about how Tiger Woods uses visualization — a skill he’s practiced since the very beginning of his career, taught when he was a boy by his Father. In the below clip, you can see how Tiger describes putting like taking a series of pictures and how this helps him visualize a successful shot.

   
  
 
 
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How to get started

So, now that you know Elite athletes apply visualization techniques to their sport, how can you get started?

We’d suggest keeping it simple to begin with. Before practice, focus on a skill you want to improve, whether that’s passing, shooting, putting, cornering, or whatever it may be. Visualize successful skill performance — what technique needs to happen to produce a successful outcome?

Imagine that, and if you’re off to a great start. Then, practice often and focus on different areas of your game to improve.

Take notes on how you feel and what effect you think it had on performance, anxiety, and confidence, and adapt from there. And while we would recommend practicing with a psychologist, the beauty of visualization and other mental skills is that they can be done anywhere by everybody… whether a junior high school football player or an Elite gymnast.

Use Rewire to improve your mental performance

Visualization is one of many mental skills that can help improve performance, reduce anxiety, and help athletes prepare for competition.

Athletes can also use Rewire neuro-science training protocols to build other mental skills, to improve resilience and focus, and reduce anxiety and stress in the lead-up to competition.

And, if you’re a coach, you can monitor your athlete’s readiness score — an aggregate score based on cognitive, physical, and emotional wellbeing — to better tailor performance, prioritize recovery, and get the most out of each athlete.

“Rewire’s latest platform makes mental strength training more accessible to athletes everywhere with easy-to-use tools to help them reach their goals.”
– NBA All-Star, Kyle Korver

Find out how Rewire can help you

FAQs

What does visualization mean?

Visualization is all about creating mental images and imaging specific scenarios. Athletes practice visualization to improve performance and confidence, and to reduce anxiety before competition.

How does visualization improve performance in sports?

Visualization can improve confidence, reduce anxiety, and improve skill-based performance, e.g., passing or shooting the ball.

What is an example of visualization in sports?

A golfer might imagine putting the ball — the direction it will go and how much power to apply to improve putting performance.

References:

Cumming, J. and Ramsey, R., 2008. Imagery interventions in sport. In Advances in applied sport psychology (pp. 15-46). Routledge.
Halvari, H., 1996. Effects of mental practice on performance are moderated by cognitive anxiety as measured by the Sport Competition Anxiety Test. Perceptual and motor skills, 83(3_suppl), pp.1375-1383.

How to Create a Mental Training Program for Athletes

April 17, 2023/in For Coaches, Guides, Mental Fitness, Science, Training Tips /by Matthew Mace

Improve your athletes’ mental game and develop a competitive edge by implementing a mental training plan.

Michael Phelps once said, “I think that everything is possible as long as you put your mind to it and you put the work and time into it. I think your mind really controls everything.”

This quote from the Olympic swimmer — and most celebrated Olympian of all time — is a fantastic introduction to mental training and how it can improve confidence and mental strength.

Mental training tools, such as effective goal setting, visualisation, self-talk, and progressive muscle relaxation, can be used to maximise physical and psychological performance.

Some of the very best athletes — Phelps included — used psychological skills training to improve performance. And in this blog post, we’ll explain how you can create a mental skills training program for your athletes to help them stay focused when it matters most.

Please note: I am not a sports psychologist. I am simply relaying the literature in an easy-to-understand way to help you create a mental training program for your athletes.

How do athletes train mentally?

Athletes who follow a mental training program usually focus on one skill or psychological strategy a day.

For example, during the week, they might practise a mix of skills to improve their mental game, including self-talk, visualisation, goal setting, and activation.

If an athlete struggles to deal with the intense pressure of competition during a particularly stressful situation (such as a freekick in football), they can visualise this and practise other mental exercises to improve confidence and performance.

While this obviously looks different for every athlete and sport, coaches should create mental training programs to address athlete weaknesses while also honing in on their strengths.

So how do you start?

To begin, coaches should perform a needs assessment with their athletes — this helps identify any potential psychological strengths (and weaknesses), and areas that may be detrimental to performance.

Ask your athletes to note down both physical and psychological skills they think are needed to perform well in their sport.

An example mental training program for a cyclist

Let’s use the example of a cyclist. They might mention skills such as:

Climbing ability
Descending ability (and confidence when doing so)
Core strength
Power output
Cornering
Teamwork
Getting into an aero position
Good communication with the team

Once you’ve got these noted down, athletes rate (on a scale of 1 to 10) how good they think they are at each skill.

Also, ask your athletes if they have any strengths or weaknesses in their sport. For example, they may say they are good at climbing, but worse at descending.

If they rate their descending ability a 4, for example, then mental skills can be used to improve their confidence and technique on those descents.

Visualisation can be used to practise choosing the right line, putting the weight over the bike correctly, and braking in advance of the corner. This can help build up confidence without actually being on the bike.

During this needs assessment, it’s important that it’s a collaborative effort between coach and athlete — this makes it more likely that they’ll stick to the program.

For more data, coaches can ask athletes to complete the test of performance questionnaire (TOPS). This will also reveal other psychological strengths and weaknesses in training and competition.

Now with a list of strengths and weaknesses, alongside physical and psychological skills, you can begin collaborating with your athletes to create an effective mental training program.

Decide what mental skills to include in the program

The results from the TOPS questionnaire also show what mental skills the athlete is good at and others which can be improved.

This provides a great foundation for you to combine skills that they have not yet utilised (or are not very good at), and skills that they want to improve in their sport, e.g. descending ability.

Mental skills include [2]:

Self-talk
Emotional control
Goal setting
Imagery (also called visualisation)
Activation
Relaxation
Negative thinking
Attentional control

If the imagery and self-talk scores were low (i.e. not used before), then we can add these to a mental training program to focus on those weaker areas such as descending, cornering and getting into an aero position.

The athlete will now be improving mental strength and physical training, applying a new skill to their performance.

You can also use mental skills they have previous practice with (and feel confident using) to complement their training and skill learning.

Be sure to ask the athlete what they want to improve and what mental skills they think would benefit their overall performance. Remember: the process should remain collaborative.

Self-talk

For self-talk, ask athletes to note down any negative self-talk they experience during training, competition, or when practising a skill.

Let’s say, for example, when approaching a descent, they feel scared, out of control, and as if they’re going to run off the road.

You can implement a script to replace negative thoughts with positive self-talk.

Below are some examples of how this cyclist would begin using positive self-talk during training, and, eventually, competition.

Negative self-talk	Positive self-talk
I feel scared when descending	I’m confident at descending
I feel like I’m going to run off the road	I’ll choose my line and stick to it
I’m worried I’ll grab the brakes in the corner	I’ll break in a straight line before the corner

Imagery

Imagery, or visualisation is similar to self-talk. And in our example, you could ask your athlete to imagine themselves descending.

What technique are they adopting? Where do they position themselves on the road? How does it feel leading up to the corner? Do they hit the apex? What about exiting the corner — do they accelerate quickly by putting more power on the pedals?

And while you should visualise the successful performance of the skill, it may also be beneficial to imagine what could go wrong, and other ways it could go. However, to begin with, we recommend mastering successful skill performance before exploring other visualisation outcomes.

Relaxation

And finally, let’s say our cyclist feels intense pressure during competition. If this was the case, it might be useful to practise relaxation techniques. This could include focused deep breathing, positive self-talk, progressive muscle relaxation, and other techniques which are good mental training tools to have in your toolkit.

No mental training program will be the same

When designing a mental training program for your athletes, it’s important to know that no two plans should or will be the same.

Athletes have unique strengths and weaknesses, some may have experience with mental skills training, and others might be starting from scratch.

But no matter what level an athlete is playing or competing in, mental training can help them improve physical (and mental) performance [1].

Coaches can use Rewire to build mental fitness

As well as creating a mental training plan for your athletes, coaches can use Rewire for teams to further improve mental fitness and mindset recovery.

Athletes get access to evidence-based protocols from neuroscience and sports psychology, and actively practise self-talk, visualisation, guided breathing exercises, and more.

Coaches can also track athletes’ readiness scores to tailor their physical and mental training for each athlete to maximise performance.

“If you’re just relying on trying to sharpen your mental game while you’re out training, you might not always have the opportunity or you may wear your body down too much. With Rewire, you have a controlled environment and structure so that you can choose when you want to add mental training to your workouts and you can do it as often as you’d like.” – Laura Kline (Elite Ultra Runner & Endurance Athlete)

Find out how Rewire can improve mental fitness for your athletes.

FAQs

What is a mental skills training program?

A mental skills training program contains psychological exercises such as self-talk and visualisation to improve physical skills, whether that’s a free throw or a cycling descent.

How do you train mental training?

To start, begin practising easy-to-implement skills such as positive self-talk and visualisation. Note down areas of your sport you want to improve and use mental skills to optimise physical and mental performance.

How do athletes become better mentally?

The best athletes are highly resilient. Often, this is a result of mental training exercises such as visualisation, self-talk, and effective goal setting. You can do the same to improve your performance.

References:

Holmes, P.S. and Collins, D.J., 2001. The PETTLEP approach to motor imagery: A functional equivalence model for sport psychologists. Journal of applied sport psychology, 13(1), pp.60-83.
Röthlin, P., Horvath, S., Trösch, S., Holtforth, M.G. and Birrer, D., 2020. Differential and shared effects of psychological skills training and mindfulness training on performance-relevant psychological factors in sport: a randomized controlled trial. BMC psychology, 8, pp.1-13.

Top 7 Visualization Tips for Beginners

November 18, 2022/in App Content, Guides /by Ryan Teigen

Visualization can be the mental fitness practice you need to help elevate your level of performance. In this blog, you’ll be introduced to seven tips to help you become a master of visualizing high performances.

1) Start off slow:

Much like starting a new skill or play at half speed, using visualization to practice the mechanics can add quality to your mental practice. The reason why is because visualization is seen as a functionally equivalent response in the brain ( Lang, 1977;1979; Whetstone,1995). This means that every neurological pathway used for actually doing the skill (such as shooting a free throw) are being used in visualization, minus the motor cortex. Several high level athletes have touted the benefits of visualization such as Aaron Rodgers, Apolo Ohono and Michael Phelps.

2) Get Specific:

What do you want to do? By setting objective goals to your visualization practice you can quickly master a lot of skills. I tell athletes the closer they get to their big competition that they should start wearing their uniform or practicing visualization in a similar environment, their brain will start making critical connections. If you’re having nerves going into a big game, practicing breathwork and visualization can be a powerful technique to overcome pre-performance anxiety.

3) Remain in control:

When practicing imagery, it’s paramount that you remain in control of the situation. You can watch yourself in either third person, first person, or both (Hardy & Callow, 1995) to overcome difficult situations. Visualization can also be used for motivation to get to the top of the podium stand, but think about what steps you need to take to get there. These can be different ‘practice sessions’ to help you piece together a high performance experience.

4) Make it realistic:

One of the most important aspects of visualization is making the environment as real as possible. If you’ve seen the place where you’re competing, think about all the nuances of that environment. If it’s a new field or court, consider finding pictures on the internet to help you visualize the landscape, sounds, smells, even the feeling of the air around you. The more realistic stimuli you add, the more real it will feel.

5) Practice daily:

Visualization can easily be as much of a part of your training as going to the gym. Aaron Rodgers has mentioned that he learned how to visualize when he was in the 6th grade and has used it time and time again to practice difficult situations out on the field. Simply take 5-10 minutes to start. Whether you’re rehearsing a new play, or running a race, imagery can be included in any mental-fitness technique.

6) Write out your own script

If you have a hard time getting clear and specific on what you want to mentally rehearse, consider writing it out and recording it. If you don’t like listening to your own voice then ask a friend to record it for you. Guided scripts make it easier to help you focus on what you can control. You can also use Rewire’s mindset recovery options which has several visualization practices to help give you different ideas on what to write your script on.

7) Combine it with Rewire

If you’re not training for anything specific, consider using rewire to help you train your motivation. Rewire’s motivation visualization can help you remain focused on your goals during long extended bouts of training. If you’re reading this on mobile, click here to check out Rewire’s pre-flight checklist to help you practice visualizing your upcoming races.

Click here to read our article on the benefits of Visualization

Visualization Techniques: A Guide to Unlocking Your Ultimate Performance Potential

November 10, 2022/in App Content, Science /by Ryan Teigen

As children, we were always taught to use our imaginations when we were playing. How often do you remember creating vivid worlds that felt so realistic with your friends? This is what Corbin (1972) would define as visualization or the “repetition of a task, without observable movement, with the specific intent of learning”. Visualization (which is also called imagery) is simply using your imagination as a mental training. However, as we got older this skill was covered by other skills within our brain. The use it or lose it principle can be applied to our imagination, and relearning how to apply it to sports can enhance your athletic potential and abilities.

Several studies have shown the benefits of using imagery and how it plays a role in athletic performance. Visualization for athletic performances dates back over 100 years. One of the strongest early models came from Bioinformational Theory back in the 1970s, which has been validated by modern neuroimaging techniques (Lang, 1977,1979). Lang’s Bioinformational Theory has made the hypothesis that the mental responses from an imagery script are functionally equivalent in the brain. Meaning, visualization is a way of creating mental reps for several skills. In addition, modern day imaging has shown that when practicing skills, visualization uses the same neural pathways in the brain, minus the motor cortex which executes the physical skill (Decety,1996). Visualization has been a go-to skill for both Olympic athletes and coaches to utilize during their training (Jowdy et al., 1989). Michael Phelps was an avid user of imagery and mentioned that visualization was almost videotape running through his head.

This article will cover four ways to use visualization:

Skill Development
Building Confidence
Motivation
Energy Management

SKILL DEVELOPMENT

One of the easiest ways to use visualization is for skill development. Indeed, imagery can be used to create new strategies, solve-problems or practice existing skills when physical practice time is limited (Munroe-Chandler & Morris, 2011). This also includes time outside of the weightroom. In 2018, a meta-analysis done by Paravlic et al., found that athletes who performed motor imagery to practice muscular voluntary contractions (MVS) increased their MVS greater than the no-exercise group, but less than those who were in the weight room regularly.

Apolo Ohno, the most decorated winter Olympian in US history, was known for breaking a sweat during his visualization practices. Ohno was an avid user of imagery in his mental training and had this to say about his visualization practice:

“I think the mental component is probably the most overlooked part of any training regimen. It’s never inside any training program or manual. There’s never a time that says, ‘mental prep’ or ‘visualization time’. It was a real critical piece for me. It was literally the difference between me winning and me not even making it into a final oftentimes.”
— Apolo Ohno

BUILDING CONFIDENCE

Another way of using imagery in your mental training is to work on your confidence in specific situations. In the late 1970s psychologist Albert Bandura found that there were several ways to build self-efficacy, which can be applied building confidence in high performing athletes. Visualization can be a powerful technique and one of the ways Bandura noted that efficacy can be built to help people reach their potential. One study (Abma et al., 2002) showed some benefit to using visualization to build confidence, and that high performing athletes are already using visualization! This technique can be used to practice achieving a desired outcome, which has been shown by several studies (see Callow et al., 2001; Mortiz et al., 1996; Vadocz et al., 1998) to be linked to a positive development of motivation. Meaning, the more you see yourself successfully practicing a skill, climbing a mountain, the more motivated you’ll be when you actually do it. While using visualization, athletes can rethink a time when they felt confident, or imagine themselves practicing a skill or running a race with confidence. Rewire has several readiness assessments which you can use to jumpstart your visualization training. My personal favorite is found in the Pre-Flight Checklist where you visualize your game plan. If you’re reading on mobile, click here to open the pre-flight checklist on the Rewire app.

MOTIVATION

Another way to use visualization is to learn how to motivate yourself. Paivo (1985) discusses in his model that athletes can practice this by imagining themselves standing on top of a podium after winning a competition. Another way of practicing motivation is by thinking of a motivating image (moments, colors, animals, etc), that elicit meaning for the athlete. Athletes can also use motivation visualization to help them mentally stay present during long extended training bouts to reconnect to the reason why they’re training.

ENERGY MANAGEMENT

Nerves under high pressure situations are always going to be present, but you can use visualization to practice remaining in control of them. This is a great strategy to pair with practicing breathwork during intense performances. It can also be used to relax yourself before bed. Athletes can practice coping and remaining in control of their emotions during difficult situations. Think about a quarterback who needs to remain composed while trying to throw a game winning touchdown. Or, how about an Ironman athlete who needs to stay in control while hitting the proverbial wall? Imagery can help you mentally rehearse how to overcome difficult situations.

WHEN CAN YOU USE VISUALIZATION?

The beautiful thing about visualization is that since it’s practice away from practice, you can practice visualization anywhere! I remember reading an excerpt from Mark Champagne’s Personal Socrates on Apolo Ohno. Champagne wrote that when practicing imagery on an airplane, Ohno would break an actual sweat because it was so intense. Holmes & Collins (2001) write that when practicing away from practice, athletes can wear their uniform or practice in a similar environment to where they’re performing and do their imagery practice. Athletes can also use pictures or videos of where they will compete to complement their visualization practice. Here’s a more in depth guide on how to create and implement a visualization practice.

Five tips to get started:

Start off practicing your skill slowly in your head, then bring it to full speed. Just like starting out a new skill at half the tempo, you can practice the biomechanics in your head.
Make it realistic. Michael Phelps often referred to this as having a video tape running in his head.
Practice both visualizing yourself from a 1st and 3rd person perspective. Start out with first, then third, then both
Start off with small pieces of your sport, then start imagining the entire thing if you’re an endurance athlete
Check out our top 7 visualization tips for beginners

PRACTICE VISUALIZATION WITH REWIRE

Rewire’s Mindset Recovery collection offers protocols which include visualization, self-talk, binaural beats, subliminal priming and breathwork, allowing you to increase your performance confidence and experience the benefits of visualization anywhere you need.

Visualize your success and unlock your ultimate performance potential by downloading Rewire’s free app today.

References:

Abma, C. L., Fry, M. D., Li, Y., & Relyea, G. (2002). Differences in imagery content and imagery ability between high and low confident track and field athletes. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 14(2), 67–75. https://doi.org/10.1080/10413200252907743

Bandura, A. (1977). Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychological Review, 84(2), 191–215. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.84.2.191

Callow, N., Hardy, L. and Hall, C., (2001). The effects of a motivational general-mastery imagery intervention on the sport confidence of high-level badminton players. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport,72, 389-400.

Corbin, C. (1972). Mental practice. In W.P. Morgan (ED.), Ergonomic aids and muscular performance (pp.94-116). New York: Academic Press.

Decety, J. (1996). The neurological basis of motor imagery. Behavioral Brain Research, 77, 45-52.

Holmes, P. S., & Collins, D. J. (2001). The PETTLEP approach to motor imagery: A functional equivalence model for sport psychologists. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 13 (1), 60–83. https://doi.org/10.1080/104132001753155958

Jowdy, D., Murphy, S.M., & Durtschi, S.K. (1989). An assessment of the use of imagery by elite athletes: Athlete, coach, and psychological perspectives. Colorado Springs, CO: Olympic Sports Committee.

Lang, P.J. (1979). Imagery in therapy: An informational processing analysis of fear. Behavior Therapy, 8, 862-886.

Lang, P.J. (1977). A bio-informational theory of emotional imagery. Psychophysiology, 16, 495-512.

Moritz, S. E., Hall, C. R., Vadocz, E., & Martin, K. A. (1996). What are confident athletes imaging? An examination of image content. The Sport Psychologist 10, 171-179.

Munroe-Chandler, K., & Morris, T. (2011). Imagery. In T. Morris & P. Terry (Eds.), The New Sport and Exercise Psychology Companion (pp. 275–308). Fitness Information Technology.

Paivo, A. (1985). Cognitive and motivational functions of imagery in human performance. Canadian Journal of Applied Sport Science, 10, 22-28.

Paravlic, A. H., Slimani, M., Tod, D., Marusic, U., Milanovic, Z., & Pisot, R. (2018). Effects and dose–response relationships of motor imagery practice on strength development in healthy adult populations: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Sports Medicine, 48(5), 1165–1187. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-018-0874-8

Perry, C., & Morris, T. (1995). Mental imagery in sport. In t. Morris & J. Summers (Eds.), Sport psychology: Theory, applications & issues (pp. 339-385). Brisbane, Australia: John Wiley. Vadocz, E. A., Hall, C. R., & Moritz, S. E. (1997). The relationship between competitive anxiety and imagery use. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 9(2), 241–253. https://doi.org/10.1080/10413209708406485

3 Habits that Will Help Build Mental Strength

July 7, 2022/in Hacks /by Patricia

Mental strength is important for every aspect of our lives – but what exactly is it?

Mental strength can look like:

Getting up when life knocks you down.

Staying disciplined despite lacking motivation.

Competing against yourself instead of others.

Facing challenges head on.

Being mentally strong means that you can cope with negative emotions in a healthy way.

It means you can think realistically, acknowledge your feelings (positive and negative!) and act accordingly.

Here are three habits that will help build mental strength:

#1 Visualization

When we visualize a particular outcome, focusing on the specific images, associated feelings, and finer details, we show our brain the desired outcome. The more we visualize a particular situation, the better we can convince our brain to believe in it. Studies have shown that mentally imagining an outcome actually alters brainwave activity and biochemistry.

Let’s say that our goal is building mental strength. We could use visualization as a tool to achieve our goal by visualizing the steps that we need to take. We can write down a list of the habits we could implement, decide when to implement them during our day (visualization while making breakfast, for example), and create an action plan to ensure long-term commitment and results.

#2 Positive self talk

Self talk is that small voice in the background, the one that says, “Hey, it’s going to be okay, we’ve got this.”

Since self talk is our inner dialogue, we can change it. If we regularly talk to ourselves more positively, we convince ourselves that we can achieve our goals, face challenges, and conquer obstacles.

Research has shown that people who talk positively to themselves are able to think more critically and react better to social challenges.

#3 Mindfulness

In my opinion, no other habit is effective without mindfulness. To me, mindfulness means being aware of our thoughts, feelings, and actions. If we are not aware of our thoughts or the way we speak to ourselves, how can we visualize our dreams or practice positive self-talk?

Every morning, I try to tune in to my mind and my body. I ask myself, “How am I today, really?”

Sometimes that’s easy – “Oh, I’m quite hungry, let me go grab something to eat.”

But then life gets in the way and it’s – “Woah, I have so much to do today. I almost forgot! I also need to…”

A good morning routine is so important for me because it helps set me up for the rest of the day. Part of that morning routine is the Rewire Readiness Assessment which considers emotional, cognitive, and physical elements as well as physiological data. All it takes is a few minutes and I am given a helpful readiness score that allows me to tune in to my mental and physical state. This way I am able to be more mindful and build mental strength.

Bonus #4 The Rewire App

Now, I don’t know about you, but trying to add all of these habits into what already feels like an over packed suitcase on a family vacation is just not feasible. That’s where Rewire comes in –

Rewire is an app designed for athletes (managing life and training is tough) and focuses on the training and recovery of both the body and the mind. All those habits I mentioned? Rewire takes them all into consideration and creates personalized Mindset Recovery sessions based on your data to help you make the most of your day and build mental resilience holistically.

Not yet convinced? Give Rewire a try and let the results speak for themselves.

“When we are tired, we are attacked by ideas we conquered long ago.” – Friedrich Nietzsche

Sources

Ralph Roberts Personal Trainer | Amarillo, TX. (2017). What Does It Mean To Be Mentally Strong? [online] Available at: https://ralphrobertspersonaltrainer.com/what-does-it-mean-to-be-mentally-strong.

Verywell Mind. (n.d.). The Difference Between Mental Strength and Mental Health. [online] Available at: https://www.verywellmind.com/the-difference-between-mental-strength-and-mental-health-5078284.‌

OMAR ITANI. (n.d.). 12 Habits That Will Help You Build Real Grit and Mental Strength. [online] Available at: https://www.omaritani.com/blog/12-habits-mental-strength

Smith, D.B. (2018). Power of the Mind 1: The Science of Visualization. [online] Science Abbey. Available at: https://www.scienceabbey.com/2018/10/24/power-of-the-mind-the-science-of-visualization-1/.‌

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