The Power of Momentum

As an exercise/sport psychologist consultant that also works as a strength coach/personal trainer, I have come to realize that everything in life is depended upon momentum. The purpose of this article is to identify what is momentum; identify when momentum has shifted from positive to negative; and what one must do to get back on track and towards positive momentum.

What is Momentum and how does momentum apply to exercise and sport?

Psychological Momentum refers to the perception that a player is moving toward their objective, thereby resulting in greater levels of energy, perception of control, enthusiasm, and motivation (Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology). Another model within the sports psychology literature defines psychological momentum as a “positive or negative change in cognition, affect, physiology, and behavior caused by an event or series of events that will result in a shift in performance outcome.”

Most of us have experienced it in one way, shape, or form, that intangible feeling that makes us seem unstoppable in the moment rather in sport or when exercising; as if fate was on our side. In this highly aroused state we feel an almost supreme confidence in our ability to perform. During this psychological shift we feel in total control and enjoy every second. But how to obtain momentum and take advantage of its awesome power,… that is what individuals are seeking to obtain. Since momentum is a shift in our perception of a given situation, it follows that we do have some control over the experience.

The reason momentum is so powerful is because of the heightened sense of confidence it gives us — the most important aspect of peak performance. There is a term in sport psychology known as self-efficacy, which is simply a player’s belief in his/her ability to perform a specific task. Typically, a person’s success depends on this efficacy. During a momentum shift, self-efficacy is very high and people have immediate proof their ability matches the challenge. As stated earlier, they then experience subsequent increases in energy and motivation, and gain a feeling of control. In addition, during a positive momentum shift, a person’s self-image also changes. He/she feels invincible and this takes the “performer self” to a higher level.

What happens when one feels that they have falling into a slump (negative momentum)?

Self talk is key when one is dealing with momentum shifts and feels as if they have fallen into a slump of some sort. Sports psychology terms self talk as dialogue one has with one self. Patterns of negative or positive self-talk often start in childhood. Usually, the self-talk habit is one that’s colored our thinking for years, and can affect us in many ways, influencing the experience of stress to our lives. However, any time can be a good time to change it!

Notice Your Patterns:
The first step toward change is to become more aware of the problem. You probably don’t realize how often you say negative things in your head, or how much it affects your experience. The following strategies can help you become more conscious of your internal dialogue and its content.

Journal Writing: Whether you carry a journal around with you and jot down negative comments when you think them, write a general summary of your thoughts at the end of the day, or just start writing about your feelings on a certain topic and later go back to analyze it for content, journaling can be an effective tool for examining your inner process.

Thought-Stopping: As you notice yourself saying something negative in your mind, you can stop your thought mid-stream by saying to yourself “Stop”. Saying this aloud will be more powerful, and having to say it aloud will make you more aware of how many times you are stopping negative thoughts, and where.

Rubber-Band Snap: Another therapeutic trick is to walk around with a rubber band around your wrist; as you notice negative self-talk, pull the band away from your skin and let it snap back. It’ll hurt a little, and serve as a slightly negative consequence that will both make you more aware of your thoughts, and help to stop them! (Or, if you don’t want to subject yourself to walking around with a rubber band on your wrist, you’ll be even more careful to limit the negative thoughts!)

Replace Negative Statements:
A good way to stop a bad habit is to replace it with something better. Once you’re aware of your internal dialogue, here are some ways to change it:

Milder Wording: Have you ever been to a hospital and noticed how the nurses talk about ‘discomfort’ instead of ‘pain’? This is generally done because ‘pain’ is a much more powerful word, and discussing your ‘pain’ level can actually make your experience of it more intense than if you’re discussing your ‘discomfort’ level. You can try this strategy in your daily life. In your self-talk, turning more powerful negative words to more neutral ones can actually help neutralize your experience. Instead of using words like ‘hate’ and ‘angry’ (as in, “I hate traffic! It makes me so angry!”), you can use words like ‘don’t like’ and ‘annoyed’ (“I don’t like traffic; it makes me annoyed,” sounds much milder, doesn’t it?)

Change Negative to Neutral or Positive: As you find yourself mentally complaining about something, rethink your assumptions. Are you assuming something is a negative event when it isn’t, necessarily? (For example, having your plans canceled at the last minute can be seen as a negative, but what you do with your newly-freed schedule can be what you make of it.) The next time you find yourself stressing about something or deciding you’re not up to a challenge, stop and rethink, and see if you can come up with a neutral or positive replacement.

Change Self-Limiting Statements to Questions: Self-limiting statements like “I can’t handle this!” or “This is impossible!” are particularly damaging because they increase your stress in a given situation, and they stop you from searching for solutions. The next time you find yourself thinking something that limits the possibilities of a given situation, turn it into a question. Doesn’t “How can I handle this?” or “How is this possible?” sound more hopeful and open up your imagination to new possibilities?

How does one get back on track?

It is one thing to be able to identify when one has shifted from positive momentum to negative momentum. The next step is to try to get back on track when the shift has turn towards a negative experience. Again as mentioned earlier in the article success breeds success. If a person has a plan of action to respond to the obstacles that awaits them then they will be equipped to deal with life’s difficulties that may arise such as sickness, lack of time, travel, and holidays. Life is never perfect, but full of limitations and constraints within which we must maneuver. Life is like a canoe trip down a river. We cannot change the river, but we can navigate its course with greater or lesser skill.

In addition, a person should protect themselves from being negative by doing the following:

1. Commit yourself to stop dwelling on the negatives. Shift your focus from negative thoughts to more positive.
2. Commit to stop revisiting things that went wrong in the past, whether performance or relationship. Shift focus to what went right.
3.If you find yourself shifting back to the negative thoughts, experiences, or performance again and again, tell yourself to stop! Then change the channels to something more uplifting.
4. If you look for the negatives in positives experiences, performances, or thoughts; start looking for positives in negatives.
5. If a negative thought or image pops into your mind, let it go, release it, erase it, and let it float away. Don’t let it consume you.
6. If you can’t let the negative thought go, then shift your focus to something positive-positive memory or uplifting experience that reflects a more positive reality (i.e. concentrating on a skill that you are really good at performing or have mastered in the past)
7. If the negative thought returns, shift back to a positive memory, a positive vision of the future, or a positive action in the present. Keep going back to positives every time that negative thought creeps into your mind.

Exercising and peak performance in sport is a difficult behavior to maintain because it takes a great deal of time and energy. The goal for anyone is to produce and maintain positive momentum.
Sports/ Exercise Psychologist Consultant in Charlotte, NC