2. STRESS SKILLS

(1) VISUALIZE SUCCESS

Athletes’ success stems from their training and practice, which give them skills to perform their best under stress. However, most athletes struggle with consistency in performance.  Whether or not we are practiced athletes, the trick is to get our brains to switch from our analytic assessments and plans to smooth, flowing action.

Positive visualization is a specific stress skill we can use to envision ourselves completing a task and to increase our probability for success. By practicing positive visualization, we repeatedly see ourselves perform a task from start to finish with a positive outcome. When realistically linked to the important positive and negative elements in a situation, this mental rehearsal allows us to prepare successfully to handle challenging and stressful situations.