Ande has done a great job of having all the various physical aspects of swimming covered but I need help with the mental aspects.
I'm really struggling with negative self-talk while I'm swimming. It feels like there's a huge jumbo-tron in my brain and messages are just running accross it non-stop while I'm swimming:
'Give up'
'ease up'
'quit'
'breaststroke's coming up, why not stop?'
'you suck'
I'm having trouble getting this stream of consciousness to stop. Not only that but I feel like such a fraud with my kids when I'm coaching. I stand there and tell them to get tough mentally but I seem to have the mental fortitude of a Krispy Kreme.
Not being able to 'get out of my head' seems to only happen when I swim.
Help?
Like anything, the mental aspect of swimming has its ups and downs. Don't beat yourself up over some negative thoughts, just don't let them get out of control. There's nothing wrong with saying I don't have it today so I'm cutting my workout short. The next day you just tell yourself you got the much needed break and now you're ready to hit it hard. Set smaller goals or goals within your goals. Picture other swimmers you know going stroke for stroke next to you and use that as motivation to get you through. Nothing major here but Good Luck.
Like anything, the mental aspect of swimming has its ups and downs. Don't beat yourself up over some negative thoughts, just don't let them get out of control. There's nothing wrong with saying I don't have it today so I'm cutting my workout short. The next day you just tell yourself you got the much needed break and now you're ready to hit it hard. Set smaller goals or goals within your goals. Picture other swimmers you know going stroke for stroke next to you and use that as motivation to get you through. Nothing major here but Good Luck.
