We all hold internal conversations as we go through our days, and sometimes our nights. Psychologists have identified one important type of these inner monologues as "self-talk," in which you provide opinions and evaluations on what you’re doing as you're doing it. You can think of self-talk as the inner voice equivalent of sports announcers commenting on a player’s successes or failures on the playing field.
Unlike that sports commentary, which athletes never hear while they're competing, you can actually “hear” what your own self-talk is saying. When this is upbeat and self-validating, the results can boost your productivity. However, when the voice is critical and harsh, the effect can be emotionally crippling. It is extremely important to remember that self-talk is a mental skill that can be developed to be done prior to, during, or after an event.
It is important to regulate both relaxation and arousal states because athletes that don't cope effectively with stress may experience decreases in performance and have physical and mental distress. It is important in order to stay focused and in control.
In order to control the balance between relaxation and arousal, you must increase your awareness of your psychological states, and by doing so you will be able to control your thoughts and feelings.
Once you are aware of your optimal balanced state between relaxation and arousal, you can use certain techniques to control it.
Visualization in sport is a training technique that forms a part of the larger science of sports psychology. Visualization is also known as mental imagery and rehearsal. Visualization is used primarily as a training tool, one that improves the quality of athletic movement, increases the power of concentration, and serves to reduce the pressures of competition on the athlete while building athletic confidence.
Visualization occurs when athletes are able to create an image or a series of images relevant to their sport, without any external prompts or stimulation; the images are mentally generated by the athlete alone. Visual images are usually the most important to athletic training and may be employed as the sole mental training method. Athletes may also depend on auditory images (sounds), kinesthetic images (movements), tactile sensations (touch), and purely emotional stimulation, in combination with visualization or as freestanding training aids, as may be appropriate to the effort to elevate the performance of the athlete.
Every successful person, whether that be an artist, sports person or leader, has set goals which have driven and directed their efforts in their quest to be the best they can be. Goal setting is an extremely powerful technique for enhancing performance so it is one of the most important strategies you can implement for success in any environment. Goal setting helps to focus attention and it is critical to maintain and enhance motivation.
Goal setting gives direction both in the short term and the long term and you can see success as you achieve your short term goals. This increases your confidence as you are begin to achieve and succeed. So if you haven't yet tried setting goals, consider this as an important tool for your psychological training. However goal setting must be implemented correctly. Often the framework for goal setting is done around the S.M.A.R.T. principle. For your summative task you may find it useful to look into the S.M.A.R.T. principle to help you.