(1) the athlete consciously acknowledges that distraction without judgment or fighting the distraction;
(2) the athlete briefly examines where his/her focus should be; and finally,
(3) the athlete allows themselves permission to refocus on the present.
Thought Stop must be done quickly when in the middle of
a game. This is not an existential go
sit on the mountain top and contemplate the meaning of life kind of fix. Thought Stop is a tool in the tool box to
rapidly get back into the right mind set.
Tips for using Thought Stop:
·
Review distracting thoughts without
judgment (stay relaxed);
·
There’s absolutely no use in fighting back
against distracting thoughts (stay relaxed) - allow these gremlins an exit door
on every side of the brain;
o
Example – when someone says, “whatever you
do….don’t focus on a pink hippopotamus riding a unicycle” where does your focus
go?
Distracting
thoughts are a never-ending battle (stay relaxed). Think of Thought Stop like an endless roll of
duct tape, a quick fix to get back on track until the next pink hippopotamus comes
along.
