Motivational Monday: Positive Affirmations for Swimmers
Breathe in, breathe out. The moment has arrived. All swimmers know the feeling of having a big race in front of them. You stand behind the blocks, anxiously adjusting your cap and goggles. You count down the heats in front of you until it’s finally your turn to dive in. These few minutes of last-minute preparations are often filled with a boatload of thoughts. These can be a swimmer’s saving grace or their method of self-destruction.
As cliche as it may sound, a positive mindset can go a long way in our sport. The swimmer who says “I can” and the swimmer who says “I can’t” both usually turn out to be right. Therefore, when standing behind the blocks before a nerve-wracking race, it is important to make sure that the thoughts flowing through your head are constructive rather than destructive.
A great way to calm oneself down before a race is through the use of affirmations. An affirmation is a regularly repeated phrase that can help enforce a positive attitude. They can be as simple as “I got this!” or as lengthy as “my fears and doubts are normal, and I am still capable of great things.”
The next time you find yourself in that nervy position as the swimmer behind the block, remember these affirmations to help keep you in the right mindset.
I Am In Complete Control Over My Performance
This affirmation can be very useful in calming oneself down before a race. When it comes to being nervous, we usually focus on the “what ifs.” What if my goggles fall off? What if I can’t execute my turns? What if I don’t hit the right splits? This affirmation reminds us that despite all of these what ifs, we are the only ones in control of the outcome of a race. While outside factors may have an impact on our mindset, we ultimately are in control of our own destiny. This affirmation reminds us that we are in control, and nothing can stop us.
I Am Confident and Fearless In the Water
Sometimes, a fake-it-til-you-make-it attitude is all you need in order to be successful in the water. If you know that you’ve been off in training, this knowledge can bring down your personal morale. When we lose our own self-confidence, this can make us even more nervous for a big race. Therefore, even when we lack a sense of believing in ourselves, it can be helpful to tell ourselves that we are confident anyway. This affirmation allows us to embrace the fake-it-til-you-make-it mentality, and this can sometimes be the key to achieving a goal.
I Have the Mental Toughness To Overcome Any Setback
In our sport, disruptive things can happen. We may miss our warmup. Maybe the pre-race meal from the night before isn’t sitting so well in your stomach. Or, we could’ve forgotten our lucky pair of goggles. No matter what setbacks we may face on race day, no matter how big or small, we must have the mentality that we can overcome them. If we dwell on all of the negative things surrounding us, we are more likely to tank a race in the water. However, if we tell ourselves that we are mentally capable of overcoming these challenges, then a positive result is more likely. This affirmation can help a nervous swimmer who may have had a few disruptions on race day.
I Trust In My Abilities and Will Achieve Greatness
Maybe you’re in the opposite situation as the swimmer described above. You put in loads of work, and everything went perfectly. You went through your warmup seamlessly and put on your racing suit without any rips. You ate your pre-race snack at just the right time. Still, as you’re standing behind the blocks with the utmost sense of preparation, you’re filled with anxiety. It is in these moments when we must learn to trust our training and have confidence in our abilities. If we truly put in the work, then we simply need to have faith in our own abilities and know that we can achieve our goals. This affirmation can help reinforce self-confidence among a swimmer who may be extremely prepared yet still nervous.
I Am a Winner. I Have a Champion’s Mindset
Last but not least, this is an affirmation that every swimmer needs to hear. When we’re standing behind the blocks, no matter how nervous or prepared we may or may not be, it is critical to continually reinforce self-confidence. For a last minute jolt of confidence before a race, this affirmation may do the trick. Believing that you are a winner and embracing the champion’s mindset is important to swimmers looking to achieve their goals. Similar to what was said earlier, the swimmer who believes he/she to be a winner and the swimmer who believes he/she to be a loser are both usually correct.
Through the use of positive affirmations, swimmers can harness their nerves and build their self-confidence. Even in the last few moments before the biggest races, swimmers can rely on affirmations to keep them mentally sharp and ready to perform at their best.