10 Exercises Athletes Can Try Today to Improve Their Mental Game

Content provided by Dr. Jonathan Jenkins and Dr. Kimberly O’Brien, authors of Mentality Wins

1. Test and refine your pre-competition routine. Try adding one new element to your pregame preparation and notice how the new element affects your mood and performance. Experiment with new elements on a regular basis until you land on a combination that's just so good you don’t want to change it anymore.\

   
   

2. Learn how to Name It To Tame It. Instead of saying “I’m a nervous wreck” and telling yourself you are consumed entirely by nerves, focus on how you are simply a person experiencing an emotion. Labeling your emotion creates distance between you and the feeling and helps you to ride the wave until it subsides.The goal is not to eliminate the feeling, but rather, learn to manage it.

   
   

3. Gamify your practice. Play can ease tension and take pressure off so have fun at practice! Create teams that compete against each other during specific drills where the winner gets something or the loser has to do something - a game before a big game.

   
   

4. Inject fun into your next training run. If you’re a runner or often run as part of training, try the “Alphabet Game.” Look for street signs or business names that start with each letter of the alphabet, working from A to Z.

   
   

5. Reframe uncertainty. When uncertainty hits during competition, try reframing your emotions as excitement instead of fear or anxiety. Instead of “This wasn’t supposed to happen,” say, “I’m prepared for this.” Instead of “I can’t handle this,” say, “I’ll figure out how to handle this.”

   
   

6. Practice the self-talk skill, Recognize & Replace. The first step of training your self-talk is developing the ability to recognize your internal narrative and how it impacts your play. If you find that your self-talk does not help you, replace it with positive or goal-directed self-talk. It can feel silly at first but it is a strategy that gets easier and more effective over time.

   
   

7. Commit to building grit. Pick one thing in your sport you’ve been avoiding because it’s hard, boring, or it doesn’t come naturally to you. Commit to working on this one skill every single day for two weeks. After two weeks, evaluate your progress.

   
   

8. Stare at an object to improve focus. Place an object from your sport in front of you and fix your eyes on one specific spot. Silently repeat a simple cue word related to the object (like “ball” or “red”), using it to bring your focus back when your mind drifts. Practice for 1-2 minutes, then close your eyes and visualize the object and that same spot, continuing to use your cue word to maintain concentration for another 1-2 minutes. Finally, pick up the object and study its texture, temperature, and details by touch, again returning to your cue word when distracted. Repeat the full sequence several times a week to strengthen your focus over time.

   
   

9. Take time to savor. Savoring is the positive psychology practice of focusing your attention on enjoyable experiences and sensations. The next time you are on the field, court, track, rink, or athletic environment, take a moment to appreciate your surroundings. Smell the smells, see the sights, and try to savor every aspect of the environment where you train and compete.

   
   

10. Look for reminders that tell you why you love your sport: it’s fun. Set your phone lock screen to a photo of yourself playing your sport as a kid with a huge grin on your face, or keep photos of fun times with your team on your wall.

Mentality Wins is available now on Amazon. To learn more about the book and the authors, visit MentalityWins.com.