There is a simple tool that you can use to let go of old patterns and introduce new ones.
You can have great intentions to change but the situation you want to behave differently might not arise very often. How would you train how you manage race day nerves at the start of your race?
You can use the power of imagery and relive every moment you can imagine as often as you want. The base of imagery (or visualization) is one important fact:
The brain doesn’t know the difference between what we think and what we experience. So if we imagine or think about something related to the past or the future, on some level we will experience that event—including all the emotions it provokes. – George Mumford
As you will realise, this is important to generate experiences that your subconsciousness can pick up.
By introducing imagery to your training you can,
get rid of old unproductive patterns,
build calm in adversity,
find intention in your life.
This is part of the “Mental Toolbox Series”. A series where you learn about mental training, mindsets and skills to prepare yourself for any challenge. It’s focused on the sport of trail and ultra running. If you enjoy what you read I would love to have you following along.
This is part IV. If you are new to the series I recommend reading through past entries at your own pace. They guide you from big-picture thinking towards essential skills. See it as a mini-course.
Last week's issue can be found here:
Become Aware Of The Power Of Your Brain
I never encountered a better example to showcase how imagery can evoke all kinds of reactions in the body just by thinking about it, as George Mumford explained in his book The Mindful Athlete. Take a moment and intentionally build an image in your mind about what he describes:
I ask the audience to imagine that I’m standing in front of an old-fashioned blackboard. I make my right hand into a claw and make a motion as if I’m making contact with the blackboard and moving my hand in a downward motion to make that screeching, scratching chalkboard sound that grates on our nerves so intensely. – George Mumford, The Mindful Athlete
The first time I read it I had a shiver running down my spine. My body had an actual reaction to the description. I heard the screeching sound. I felt the pressure on the fingernails while the hand moved down the blackboard. I could see the reactions of other people in the audience.
This is the power of our mind. Once you realise this you can imagine how powerful it is to use it to train actual situations in your life – at any given time.
Enrich Your Blueprint
During the last seven days, you created a desired state that you want to be in. You worked on becoming very clear what thoughts you want to have, what actions you do, and how you talk.
Hey!
If this is the first time you are reading my letter I would recommend you to work through the series at your own pace. Last week’s exercise aimed at finding a desired state you want to be in for a situation that you normally struggle with by building a list of thoughts, actions, words and attitudes.
I want you to take this blueprint and enrich it with environmental cues.
Where are you exactly?
Is it night, or day?
Does the sun sit low or does it stand high in the sky?
What time of the year is it? Is there maybe even snow? If it’s spring, are the meadows incredibly green?
How does it smell?
What people are with you?
There is no limit here. Think of as many details as possible. I guess you see why this is important: The closer the image is to reality the better the brain can learn from it.
Imagine…
I ran the first 30k of my last ultra exactly once before I actually raced it.
But I was on the trail countless times mentally. I knew what I would think. I knew what I would do in case of adversity. I knew where I would be pushing and where I would let go of the gas a bit.
I used imagery many times before I actually raced. I ran it in the rain. I ran it during snow. During scorching heat – which then showed up on race day. Weather situations that could happen here in the Alps in early September.
How do I go about building an image in my mind? It’s actually quite simple (I have a bonus tip in the end that can make it way easier):
Familiarise Yourself With What You Are About To Imagine
You now have a pretty clear idea of your desired state. You also have a clear idea of how the environment is. As you will close your eyes and do a visualisation internally you have to refresh your mind about your situation.Set your intention
It’s important to be aware of what you are trying to accomplish. Set a short intention for what you will visualise and work on today. You could create a sentence out of your actions, thoughts and words like, I will run this race with confidence and have a fluid mind to tackle every adversity I will face.Close your eyes
This is obviously where it all begins. Find calm by going through 4-5 deep breaths. That will calm down your nervous system and set you up in a relaxed state. In the end, the desired state that you are visualising is empowering and you want to connect it to a deep state of calm.Go from broad to details
It’s helpful to start building your mental image about the environment you are in. What does it look like? How does it smell? How is the weather? Use the situation you built before.
After you have a good image about of surroundings, observe yourself from the outside. How do you move (if you move)? How do you look? Determined? Relaxed? Here it’s important that you got pretty clear on how you wanted to feel before you started.
If you have a great picture of this state, go one level deeper. What are you feeling? What are your thoughts? How do you behave? This is where the actual magic happens. This is where you connect everything together and start to be how you want to be.Bonus Tip: This might feel awkward but if you have a hard time guiding yourself through this process I recommend to recording yourself guiding you through it. Talk yourself, similar to a guided meditation, through your situation. Use the words you want to hear. Describe the feelings you want to have.
The great part of this is that you can listen to this whenever you want, which leads me to our last point.
Repetition Is Key
I recently listened to a podcast where Hannes Namberger talked about his mental preparation. There was one sentence in there that I found super interesting. He mentioned that he visualizes going through the finish line nearly every day. It’s his motivation. It’s what keeps him training hard. What keeps him going during the race. His brain knows exactly what they are out to do.
He builds an image of intention.
Your brain has two systems that learn at all times. The declarative system is everything you think of consciously, like the first time you sat on a bike. The procedural system learns in the background. You have to spend conscious effort when you first sit on a bike but after a while, it becomes second nature.
Your skill of riding a bike moved from your declarative to your procedural system. The procedural system learns by repetition. That is also why it’s so hard to unlearn something we did for a long time.
Building up images in your mind for your new desired state allows for many repetitions. You can do it daily. You can do it whenever you want. The only thing keeping you from your new pattern is the intention to change.
Next Week: The State Of Focus
There might be one thing that you struggle with today’s technique. That is staying focused on your visualization. If you don’t have a mindful practice you most likely are used to a brain that jumps from thought to thought and has a hard time focusing.
Therefore next week we will start looking at how you can train to keep your focus.
But before that, give this week’s imagery technique a go. You might feel a drastic shift in your well-being. Imagining yourself in a state that you are rarely in can be empowering.
Do this during the week:
Create a crystal clear image of your desired state
Optional but recommended (especially if this is your first time using imagery): Guide yourself through with a recording
Keep attention on how you feel afterwards. What can you carry into other aspects of your life?
I hope you have a great week testing this out. It’s worth it.
The past three letters were building up to this point and concluded in today’s imagery session. You can go through these as often as you like, building a repertoire of visualizations for any situation you like to improve. I hope it is helpful!
See you next week to kickstart a journey of becoming a focused athlete!