Mindgames for Ease

I have some more dirt to dish on myself. I think you realize by now, that things are pretty darn active in my noggin. Sometimes there’s a shadow-side to all that thinking, a bit of a worry habit, but mostly, I’ve learned to use my super thinky powers for good.

Playing mindgames with myself.

And I mean that in the best way possible.

I do this most often when I’m doing something physical, that requires some endurance. Because face it, a two hour run or seven hour mountain climb can get pretty tedious otherwise. Plus, the games I play help make things feel easier, and I really believe they improve my actual performance.

What exactly do I do?

Besides silly mantras, and paying attention to what I’m telling myself, I also like to imagine different things, and see how it changes how my body feels, as well as my perception of exertion, not to mention actual pace.

Relaxing when running and other things

I might start with some easy things like asking myself how can I relax my body even more. And then imagine relaxation flowing through my body, especially my legs.

This is especially useful when I notice any kind of discomfort, which isn’t uncommon on a longer run or hike. I tell myself the discomfort is a reminder to relax even more, and then I scan through my body and relax my shoulders (they always seem to want to hang out around my ears), my hands, my belly, butt, legs and feet. Even my toes. You’d be surprised how tensed up your toes can get.

Getting creative

One of the other little mind games I play a lot is imagining that the energy that’s powering my movement is coming from somewhere other than me. I know, it sounds weird, but I’ve done it enough to know that, at least for me, it makes a huge difference in how I feel and perform.

When I’m on a mountain, I imagine that the mountain has energy that is drawing me up to the summit. When I’m running, I imagine the road or trail or beach has energy that’s propelling me forward.

In last year’s Portland Marathon, I imagined that the energy of the front runners was pulling me forward. I’m sure that had nothing to do with the dramatic slowdown (even though I felt like I was running the same pace) that I experienced at exactly the point at which the fastest runner’s crossed the finish line. I know, weird.

What games do you play?

Do you have any little mindgames you play to make things easier or to help you perform better?