High Performance Mindset | Learn from World-Class Leaders, Consultants, Athletes & Coaches about Mindset - 13: Overthinking is NOT Your Friend

Episode Date: October 9, 2015

We can overthink anything - our athletic performance, our success, our failure, our family, our appearance, our career, our health...Thank goodness for family, friends and teammates who help us out of this rut. But, we need to catch ourselves when we get in this terrible mindset. Why? Because overthinking is NOT our friend. In this episode, Cindra share's a personal story when she got stuck in the overthinking rut and why overthinking is so dangerous for you. Then,  she share 3 ways YOU can use to snap out of the overthinking rut. To find out more information about our Master Your Mindset for Athletes online course and community mentioned in this podcast, visit cindrakamphoff.com and click on the Master Your Mindset for Athletes logo or visit HERE.

Welcome to High Performance Mindset with Dr. Sindra Kampoff. Do you want to reach your full potential, live a life of passion, go after your dreams? Each week we bring you strategies and interviews to help you ignite your mindset. Let's bring on Sindra. Today's episode is sponsored by Worldwide Access Solutions Incorporated, a 24-7 clear advantage, a call center providing inbound and outbound services, and a licensed life and health insurance agency. You can visit them at wasi.com. Welcome to the High Performance Mindset.

This is your host, Cindra Kampoff. And each week here on the podcast, we provide you with an inspiring message about a peak performance topic, which includes strategies on how you can master your mindset, as well as an interview with a high performer or somebody who works in high performance. So I want to thank you so much for joining me. If you are new to this podcast, welcome. Thanks for being here. And if you're returning, thanks so much for coming back for more inspiration and guidance. If you haven't already, make sure you subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or such a radio so you receive future podcasts automatically. In 2012, I had trained 90 miles a week for the Omaha Marathon. This was more than I

had ever ran as a college runner. I just wanted to see what I could do. I wanted to go after some big dreams and really push myself. You know, I never felt so much more alive. I was loving my training. And three weeks before the race, I had to get on and register for the race online. I can't believe I hadn't already done that, but for whatever reason, I didn't. That day, I started questioning my plan, and as I was starting to taper for the race, which is cut back my mileage, I wondered if this is really the race that I should run. Should I really just train for another three weeks and choose a different marathon to run? I loved my training, and I just wasn't sure if I really just train for another three weeks and choose a different marathon to run? I loved my training and I just wasn't sure if I really wanted to cut back.

And I spent one Sunday struggling with these questions. Should I run it? Should I change it? Was I ready? Should I run it? Should I change it? Was I ready? All day I was a nervous wreck. I was overthinking everything about my training and everything about the race. Now, luckily, my husband and my friend Jim talked me out of this overthinking rut that I was in. They said to me, Sindra, you need to trust your training. You need to trust your plan, and you need to trust your ability. Just register for the race. And I'm really happy I did register for the race that day. It led me three weeks later to the most amazing athletic experience of my entire life. And that day I was blessed to

win Omaha Marathon. It was one of the coolest things that I've ever done athletically. And if you're anything like me, you can get stuck in this overthinking rut. And it's great to have family and friends to help us through these ruts, but we really need to catch ourselves. Overthinking is thinking too much. We needlessly, passively, endlessly, and excessively ponder the meaning, the cause, and the consequences of things. Sometimes we think to ourselves, am I really ready? Should I trust my plan? What did he really mean by that remark? Gosh, what do other people think of me? Or sometimes

when we're sad, we can think, why am I so unhappy? We can overthink anything. Our athletic experience, our families, our appearance, our career, our health, our success, and our failure. In fact, one research study suggests that 73% of young adults and 52% of middle-aged adults are over thinkers. And the more we engage in overthinking, the more likely we are to become an over thinker. And one of the reasons I'm delivering this message today is because I'm working with a lot of football players individually. And what I'm finding is that today is because I'm working with a lot of football players individually. And what I'm finding is that between one-third and one-half of these players are engaging in overthinking.

There's a lot going on in the game of football, and sometimes it's hard to process it all. Just like there's a lot going on in life. But there are severe adverse consequences to overthinking. It sustains or worsens our sadness. It fosters negative thinking. It zaps our motivation, interferes with our concentration. We're not able to be as creative. It doesn't allow us to go after our goals and take initiative. And it can drive our family and friends away. In sport, we can choke under the pressure. So what should you do instead? The first thing we must all recognize,

overthinking is not our friend. And especially when you feel down, you might think that focusing inward and evaluating how you're feeling or the situation might help you gain insight. But if we ruminate when we're upset, this can be toxic. Research shows that you will feel more powerless and self-critical. So the first thing we must do is recognize that overthinking is not our friend. When you engage in overthinking, try one of these three strategies. Get up and move around. Get a

drink of water. Go to the bathroom. Exercise if you can, because exercise releases brain chemicals that allows our brain to function in a more productive way. Second thing, distract yourself or absorb yourself into an activity that you enjoy, that you love. You know, our daily life is full of minor setbacks and hassles, but we must move on. So distract yourself. Instead, do something that you really enjoy and have fun doing it. The third thing you can do is reinterpret or redirect your negative thoughts into more

neutral ones or more optimistic ones. Give yourself evidence on why you should trust yourself, why you should be confident in your plan, and all the reasons that you can crush it. Remember that confidence is a choice. So becoming happier means learning how to disengage with overthinking. And that's overthinking both major and minor negative experiences.

Learn to stop searching for all of the leaks and the cracks in something and instead give yourself evidence on why you can go after your goals and your dreams. So as Ralph Waldo Emerson said, finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Yes, there are some blunders and obscurities

that have crept in, but forget them as soon as you can because tomorrow is a new day. Thanks so much for joining me today. Have an outstanding week and be mentally strong. Hi, my friends. If you like today's message, I think you'll love our new program for athletes called Master Your Mindset for Athletes. Master Your Mindset for Athletes is a 10-module online course and community that you can access from anywhere at any time. The curriculum follows my top 10 traits of high performers, which is vital for you to perform at your best athletically. And you'll

have access to the course for the next year and any access to updates or bonuses that we add in the next year. The bonuses already include countless videos on the high-performance mindset, as well as recorded interviews with elite professional and Olympic athletes. Those are already uploaded to the course waiting for you, as well as the first module on GRIT. Each week for the next 10 weeks,

you'll receive an email from me providing access to a new module to help you perform up to your potential. And during the launch, this program Master Your Mindset for Athletes is half off. So for just $97 for a limited time, you have access to strategies of the world's best athletes. There's also a mastery option to work with me individually as you go through the course, which would include five times or every other week as you go through the course. Now this is only available for the first 10 people. So if you're interested, don't waste any time. You can find the Master Your Mindset logo on my website, cindracampoff.com. That's

cindracampoff.com to find out more information. Also, in the next several weeks, we'll be launching a similar program for entrepreneurs, business leaders, and high achievers. And you can get any updates on the program by texting MENTALLYSTRONG, all one word, to 22828. That's MENTALLYSTRONG, all one word, to 22828. Or by entering in your first name and your email at syndracampoff.com. Make it an outstanding week and be mentally strong. Thank you for listening to High Performance Mindset. Are you signed up for Sindra's weekly email with free mental tools and strategies for high performance? Why the heck not? Text MENTALLYSTRONG, all one word, to 22828 or visit

sindracampoff.com.