Awareness

Changing your relationship to thoughts to help you effectively manage them

Cognitive fusion is when we are caught up in our thoughts, completely identified with what our mind is saying whether it is helpful or not. It can make us feel like a hamster on a wheel, endlessly thinking and thinking and thinking …

• "Oh no, don’t shank this drive"

• "My ranking is going to tank if I don't make the cut today"

• "My putting feels off today, why is this happening to me?"

 And on, and on…

The ability to notice your own thought processes is an important psychological skill.

Just stop for a moment. Take a deep breath, and ask yourself:

What is your mind telling you in this moment?

•  "The mental game is rubbish - I just need more time to hone my skills on the range"

 or

• "I wonder if player x has finished under par"

or

• "Ohhh, I could go a cheeseburger right now" …

 Could be any number of different thoughts, the options are endless. This is after all, our brain. And it's more powerful than we can imagine. (See article on the evolution of the human mind here).

 Regardless of whether these thoughts are true or not doesn’t matter. It's how we deal with them that's important.

 Mindfulness allows us to become mindful of the stream of thoughts and emotions that we experience in different situations, and not become "fused" with them.

Awareness is the first step.

It's not about ignoring them, or pushing them away, or wishing they weren't there. It's about changing the way you respond to them. Working on your relationship to thoughts gives you the power to make better mental decisions, and not be in a constant battle with your mind.

 Harnessing this skill will enable you to use your mind to its full potential - thus improving your learning, enjoyment and performance on the course.

 So next time you feel your mind taking over, full of distractions or negative thoughts, stop. Notice the thoughts.

 And then ask a different question - “where do I want my attention to be right now?”