Make it positive
Have you ever told yourself, "I can't lose weight -- it's just too difficult," or, "I'll never be able to get out there and walk every day"? That's negative self-talk. And as automotive pioneer Henry Ford said, "If you think you can do a thing, or think you can't do a thing, you're right."
Negative self-talk is associated with poorer performance. It simply undermines your ability to succeed. The idea is to replace the negative talk and make it more positive and productive, says Afremow. And if you don't feel comfortable telling yourself, for example, that you deserve to lose weight and can skip dessert, at the very least stop negative self-talk.
Don't get hijacked
Be careful. Once you open the door to using self-talk, your thinking could get hijacked, adds Sandra Cousins, Ph.D., professor emeritus at University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada. "It only takes one 'if' to get hijacked -- once you say 'if,' you're essentially saying, 'It's not going to happen.'"
Present tense
A true affirmation is stated as if it is already true. "No 'cans,' 'shoulds,' 'wills,' etc. are to be included. Also, no 'nos' or other negatives should be included. Use the present tense: 'I am . . ." says Kay Porter, Ph.D., a sports psychologist and author of The Mental Athlete (Human Kinetics, 2003).
Keep them simple
"Strive to keep your thoughts short, simple and productive. Avoid over-thinking," says Afremow. "Champions think fewer thoughts while performing than those who are less accomplished. In sport, the ultimate goal is to transcend thought, trusting the body to do its thing."
Charles Stuart Platkin is a nutrition and public health advocate, author of the best seller Breaking the Pattern (Plume, 2005), Lighten Up (Penguin USA/Razorbill, 2006) and Count Down (Simon and Schuster, January 2007) and founder of Integrated Wellness Solutions.
