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Practicing mental imagery and visualization can greatly increase your confidence and active lifestyle. Professional athletes and successful businesswomen use it all the time. So, why not you? It can increase strength, confidence, and results by activating the same neural pathways as an actual movement.
What is Mental Imagery?
Mental imagery is when you imagine yourself performing a task. You see this in your minds-eye when you aren’t doing the movement or activity. For example, let’s say you have a work presentation for a group of people you want to impress. Before the presentation, you give yourself some time earlier that day to relax at your desk. Take a few deep breaths and go through the presentation in your head, and imagine yourself doing it completely right.
Also, you may have heard this concept referred to as the law of attraction. It’s not a new concept. It was the basic
Here are 4-steps for practicing mental imagery:
- Set realistic goals based on your current skill level: Don’t expect that mental imagery will get you into a yoga handstand if you’ve never been to yoga. Start with experiences you know well and can pull from. Then, visualize yourself taking it one step further.
- Always imagine yourself successful. Constantly reinforce the positive to build confidence that becomes automatic.
- Use all your senses: Feel your chest moving with your breath, smell the sweat, and so on.
- Visualize the person you would like to become as a result of exercise or killing that presentation.
Before a workout, I’ll take 3-10 deep breathes before or during a workout where I visualize myself performing at my best or slightly better than last time. This can be used in so many aspects of life!
If you enjoyed reading about mental imagery and visualization, you’ll probably be interested in how to become free of self-limiting thoughts.
Till next time,
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