Self-Talk for Performance: Mental Skills for Athletes

The Sonya Looney Show

Self-talk for performance is like the secret weapon you didn't know you had. Your body only gets you so far, and a lot of the time it's your mind that gets you to the finish line. If you're challenging yourself, there's no doubt been moments of wanting to quit- or maybe you actually have quit a time or two. Self-talk in sports is a common thread, but working on your self-talk for anything in your life is key to optimism, resilience, and even equanimity. I like to say "the most powerful voice in the world is the one inside your own head, and it's the only voice that is with you your entire life."

This podcast is a talk I gave for the TransRockies virtual training camp. It's also with great excitement I'm announcing that enrollments for my Moxy & Grit Mindset Academy are now open. You can find it at moxyandgrit.com and also on my website: sonyalooney.com.

Sign up!!

The course is all about training mental toughness and the skills you need to be your best on race day and beyond. The course has 4 main modules: Goals & Habits, Motivation & Mindset, Self-Talk & Optimism, and Race Day Confidence. I've taken the wisdom of my podcast guests over the years, many books by Phds and experts I've read over the last 6 years, and my own real world experience to bring to you an actionable, engaging course. Also included is a digital workbook where I've taken some key lessons from positive psychology and productivity to help you move forward to build confidence, grit, and set goals based on identity and process.

But back to today's podcast- it's a chip off the iceberg from the topic of self-talk for performance. Today, I give an overview to some topics I cover in detail in my course. Things like:

Topics Discussed in the Podcast

• Defining self-talk
• types of self-talk
• how to make self-talk more effective
• changing your explanatory style
• powerful mantras