Self-Talk
Have you paid attention to what you say to yourself everyday?
What you speak to yourself can influence your mood, motivation, and performance.
Let's explore what self-talk can do for you.
What is Self-Talk?
Self-talk is what you speak to yourself silently or out loud. Self-talk can be a word like "push" and "quick", a phrase like "have fun" and "let's go", and a complete sentence like "I'm ready" and "I don't want to make a mistake".
Self-talk mainly has instructional and motivational functions. Instructional self-talk which is often action-oriented self-talk such as "breathe" and "Loot out" can help you develop and execute skills, improve your performance, and implement strategies.
Motivational self-talk can help you stay focused, increase confidence, cope with difficulties, manage motivation, and regulate emotions.
Why does Self-Talk Matter?
Because what you say to yourself can influence what you do.
Thinking about something to happen can help the thing to happen. This phenomenon is called self-fulfilling prophecy. If you think "I'm afraid of making a mistake", the thought can cause you to make a mistake and trap you in a vicious circle.
Additionally, when you try NOT to do something, your brain can become confused about what to do and end up doing it. This phenomenon is called the ironic effect. If I say "do not think of an apple. It's red and shiny." What would you have in your mind?
Mindset
How you see things and process your experience is also influential for your improvement and performance.
Fixed and Growth Mindsets suggest how you set your mind can change the course of your actions.
People with a fixed mindset think that specific human traits or abilities such as intelligence, performance competence cannot be changed whereas people with a growth mindset think that specific human traits or abilities can be developed, changed, or improved with practice and persistence.
People with a fixed mindset tend to avoid challenges, take criticism personally, see setbacks as failure, and give up easily. On the other hand, people with a growth mindset tend to embrace challenges, reframe criticism as constructive feedback, see setbacks as learning opportunities, and be willing to take risks.
While people with a fixed mindset can get stuck in a negative thought and mood, people with a growth mindset can keep moving forward by exploring what works for them; thus, they may have more chances to be successful.
Self-Talk Tips
Someone may say "I should use positive self-talk, but positive statements are too cheesy and I feel uncomfortable."
If you feel that way, trust yourself because self-talk that conflicts with your deeply believed thoughts can be detrimental to performance.
You don't need to force yourself to be positive, but you try to be true to yourself.
When you assess your self-talk, you can ask these questions.
Is your self-talk helpful to you?
Does your self-talk address what you want to happen? (re: self-fulfilling prophecy)
Are there any side effects of your self-talk?
Is your self-talk clear and easy to understand? (re: ironic effect)
Is your self-talk believable?
Self-Talk Exercise
I would like to introduce an exercise to reassess the effectiveness of your typical self-talk.
Pick a self-talk you often use.
Imagine having a team of characters in you like the movie, Inside Out. Each character holds a different perspective and emotional drive.
Let the team have a discussion on your self-talk.
If the team has a conflict or disagreement, the self-talk may not be helpful to you.
Come up with another self-talk the team can agree on.
Upon clicking the button above, you will be directed to payhip to download the worksheet.
References
Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: The new psychology of success. Random House Publishing Group.
Embleton, T. (Ed.). (2022). Touring and mental health: The music industry manual. Omnibus Press.
Hardy, J., Hall, C. R., & Hardy, L. (2005). Quantifying athlete self-talk. Journal of Sports Sciences, 23(9), 905–917.
Hatzigeorgiadis, A., Zourbanos, N., & Theodorakis, Y. (2007). The moderating effects of self-talk content on self-talk functions. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 19(2), 240–251.
Turner, M. J., Kirkham, L., & Wood, A. G. (2018). Teeing up for success: The effects of rational and irrational self-talk on the putting performance of amateur golfers. Psychology of Sport & Exercise, 38, 148–153. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2018.06.012
Wegner, D. M. (1994). Ironic processes of mental control. Psychological Review, 101(1), 34–52. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.101.1.34
Weinberg, R. S. & Gould, D. (2019). Foundations of sport and exercise psychology (7th ed.). Human Kinetics.
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This blog is made for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended as medical, licensed professional counseling, or other healthcare advice.
The information in this blog is not intended to (i) replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional, (ii) create a provider-patient relationship or a collaborative relationship, or (iii) create a duty for us to follow up with you.