(This is the first in a continuing series of wellness articles explaining the power of the mind and how it can empower our lives, athletic performance and relationships.)
By Terry Carter
Many of us don’t realize the power of our own words. They are literally commands to your mind and body, which are fulfilled by your subconscious mind.
Whether you are struggling to heal an injury or attempting to reach a new level of success in athletics or life, the power of elevated thought can change the story from self-sabotage to worthy warrior.
As a coach/mentor/therapist, I’ve studied and applied the power of the mind to change lives of many people, including athletes, students, families, couples and adults. Most can see transformations in their focus, motivation, energy and results by upgrading habits and the meaning of past events.
The work at World Wellness Today is focused on three primary areas currently:
- Christian counseling
- Performance therapy with athletes, coaches
- Family therapy with parents and children
For athletes, I help them control their nerves/anxiety, avoid common errors, practice and perform better with mindset upgrades. A simple visualization exercise, such as imagining that your back includes a more rubbery material that is exceptionally flexible, helps athletes to generate flexibility — and a wider, more powerful swing in sports like golf, tennis or baseball/softball. Gymnasts and divers thrive with such mental approaches.
Athletes and coaches often see their performance only from the perspective of perfect or flawed. Since we are all human, little of what we can do is near perfection. It is, in all respects, an impossible standard with which to measure your performance. The athlete will always see themselves as a failure, and the coach can often be too harsh in judgement. There are better ways to motivate and help even elite athletes, as well as young beginners, to embrace their sport and continue to enjoy it years later.
For those ailing or struggling, I may ask them to remember that their body was created and designed to heal itself and remind them that more than 1,000 beneficial, natural chemicals are released into the body as they follow a simple, elevated visualization procedure. I may ask them to let go of pain, limitation, tightness, etc. and move toward the body’s original imprint as you created. This conversation gives the them power over their body, which is a powerful, proactive first step.
New beliefs, when encouraged and repeated, can create a new biology with practice and their proper implementation, according to Dr. Joe Dispenza, who has written numerous articles and books on healing and transforming the body.
(Next time we will address why your awareness and subconscious mind are crucial to conquer testing anxiety and sports anxiety.)
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- Winning in athletics is not about being perfect. It’s focused on your best performance at that moment, playing to your strengths and adapting to the surprises competition brings. (Photo by Terry Carter/UDPhotos for @WorldWellness2d)
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- The mind responds well to invitations to excellence and high-performance goals. Athletes know that encouragement is often sacrificed and replaced with criticism, ridicule, bullying and fear-based tactics on the field and in practice. (Photo by Terry Carter/UDPhotos for @WorldWellness2d)
