Mental training: what you can learn from sports and apply to life

In the late 19th century, the founder of the International Olympic Committee, Pierre de Coubertin, established mental training as standard in competition preparation. As explored in the «arte» TV documentary «Think Gold – Mentaltraining im Spitzensport» (Engl.: Think gold – mental training in elite sports), what he saw in sports was the mental perfection of humans. It activates your resources, trains you in dealing with stressful situations and has you visualise your goals until they come to fruition. Just like you can train your muscles, this method can train your brain.

At the 2014 World Cup, the German national football team was a great example of how huge the potential of mental preparation is in competition. In the semifinals, the German team beat Brazil 7:1. Germany was the only World Cup team to employ a yoga and meditation coach.

So, what exactly happens during mental training? Which strategies for increasing mental strength can help us through the everyday? And what does science say? Alexander Schneider, sports psychologist and mental coach of the Austrian Football Association, offers some insight. «Football teaches mental strength, emotional and social skills as well as team cohesion. These are competencies you can also apply to other areas of life,» he explains. In a nutshell, here’s the core idea behind mental training: if you imagine something often enough in your mind, then «at best, it’ll prove a self-fulfilling prophecy.» Sound like something for you? Then give it a go.

What is mental training?

Mental training relies on various psychological methods. According to Schneider, there’s no precise definition of the term. Originally, the idea behind it was to visualise movement sequences in sports in advance and to perfect them in combination with physical training sessions. Today, professionals use mental training in all sorts of areas of life to increase social and emotional skills, cognitive abilities, resilience, and overall well-being.

«In mental training, we work in a strength- and solution-oriented way,» says the coach. We address questions such as: what goal do you want to achieve and what resources do you need to tap into to achieve it? For this purpose, the expert works with result- and process-oriented goals. «Classic result-oriented goals have the disadvantage that they create a lot of pressure and aren’t always under our control. That’s why we often work with process-oriented goals – here’s what they’re all about: what do I want my motivation to be in approaching the challenge? And how do I want to present myself?» According to Schneider, the goal is to support the individual in this process as a coach – «We don’t provide solutions. Instead, we help you find a solution yourself.»

What does the science say?

Resource activation, visualisation exercises, pop psychology? Science is also very interested in mental training. As far back as 20 years ago, researchers at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation published their astonishing study results on mental training, which can be found in the «New Scientist» science and technology magazine. The article states that the thought of tightening your biceps alone can cause the muscle to grow. Muscles move as soon as they receive a signal from the motor nerve cells. The intensity with which this signal is emitted depends on the strength of the impulses sent by the brain. Five times a week, subjects had to imagine their tensed biceps with all their might. And indeed, after two weeks, the researchers found an increase of 13.5 per cent.

Years later, researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) described the phenomenon of visualisation exercise in the journal «Current Biology». According to the study, if you want to successfully handle a situation – be it a presentation at work, an exam at university or a free kick on the football field – you should repeatedly play through the situation in your mind’s eye. This is why visualisation and imagination techniques are also an integral part of Alexander Schneider’s mental coaching. «Our brain always chooses the paths we mentally walk down most often,» he says. His advice: the next time you’ll be giving a presentation in the office, imagine what the weather will be like, what the office will smell like, who will be there, and how the presentation is supposed to go. «If you make positive associations with the place beforehand, you’ll go into your presentation feeling confident.»

Mental training is therefore not only something for athletes, but can also help us become more resilient in our everyday lives – so go the findings of a recent study from the «Psychoneuroendocrinology» journal. A research group in social neuroscience investigated how mental training helps to strengthen our inner resilience and deal more successfully with stress. The study examined 289 healthy subjects and their stress hormone cortisol. After three months of mental training, increased levels of self-efficacy were found in the participants, but there were hardly any effects on individual cortisol levels. So, the results don’t allow for any conclusions to be drawn about the physical effect of mental training on the individual’s perception of stress in everyday life. The researchers emphasise that laboratory results should only be applied with caution to the individual and their daily routines.

How to find a legitimate mental coach

Many of the offers you’ll come across online when looking for a mental coach should be taken with a grain of salt. One reason for this is the lack of quality assurance, says Schneider. «‘Mental coach’ isn’t a protected term. You can simply take a three-day course to become a mental coach. There are no professional guidelines for the job.» It’s different in the fields of psychology and psychotherapy – they require an extensive education which sets out certain quality criteria and professional ethical guidelines. Schneider himself is currently in training to become a psychotherapist. He says, «Education is the first and most important sign of quality of a good mental coach.»

In contrast to mental coaching, the goal of psychotherapy is to manage or cure an affliction. The target group is people with high levels of distress or even mental illness – and only clinical psychologists, psychiatrists or psychotherapists are allowed to work with them. According to Schneider, those wanting to be more successful in their professional and private lives, for example, or those going through a phase of reorientation, be it in their career or relationship, are in good hands with a mental coach. «Mental coaching focuses on working toward specific goals with the help of resource activation and personal development.»

How to find mental strength on your own

You don’t have to go straight to a mental coach to successfully manage difficult and stressful situations. Schneider also has methods for improved mental strength at home which you can integrate into your everyday life.

1. Mental training: programme yourself for success

Formulate a topic that’s important to you and derive concrete and feasible goals from it. «The important thing is that you formulate the goals a positive way and that they’re measurable,» Schneider says. You hang up these goals in your home and attach thought filters to them: which thoughts help you to reach the goal and which ones hinder you? For example, if you set a goal to appear confident in your next presentation at work, ask yourself: will mentally playing out worst-case scenarios help you, or is a different, more positive thought of more help? For example, you can imagine a person whose confidence you admire. «This requires discipline. Every time one of the negative thoughts comes up, you have to consciously recognise it and decide against letting it in.»

**2. Use imagination techniques from mental training **

The first step to achieving a goal, any goal, is to envision it. According to Schneider, this technique is particularly popular in football. For example, to hit the 11-metre shot into the goal, the player will imagine the football field, how it smells, the weather, how many steps he’ll take when running towards the ball and how the impact of the ball will feel on their foot. When you go over goals repeatedly in your mind, necessary thought pathways are formed in the brain that later help you actually achieve the goal. (Your brain, as previously states, is designed to always use the same tried and true pathways.)

You can apply the same steps as in the football scenario to situations in other areas of life: for job interviews, important exams or difficult family visits. To do this, close your eyes, take three deep breaths, and imagine how you’d best handle said situation. «It’s important to also mentally go through any stumbling blocks and ask yourself: how would I react in this case?» With that, the colleague who asks annoying questions during the presentation can no longer upset you.

3. Activate your resources: you’ve got the power

Here’s what you should keep in mind: you typically already have all the resources you need to deal with a difficult situation. This exercise simply serves to remind you of it. During the first week, write three of your strengths on a piece of paper and stick it to your bathroom mirror. Read it over every time you pass it by. In the second week, write three experiences on the piece of paper that make you feel good. A single keyword is often enough. In the third week, write down three people who are a source of strength for you. By the end of the three weeks, you’ll have found ways to activate your resources and how to tap into them in difficult situations. You’re already equipped with the strength to overcome many difficult situations.

**4. Visualise highlights thanks to mental training **

Be it at work, in your private life or in sports, each and every one of us has successes we can look back on. Write down ten highlights from the areas of your life you’re looking for support in. These highlights should be things you’re proud of having accomplished. By reading through it multiple times, you’ll manifest your past successes, Schneider promises. «We often forget that we’ve already overcome many challenges and have the necessary strategies in place. At the end of the exercise, we come to realise that we do, in fact, already know what we’ve got to do.»

5. Rituals, rituals, rituals

Rituals are fixed processes – what time I get up, what I have for breakfast, what music I listen to while brushing my teeth, and so on. These fixed processes, which are often carried out on autopilot, provide security in everyday life. We don’t have to put in any extra effort and we know exactly what to expect in the next step. Through rituals, we can also employ this security in challenging life situations. Rituals are particularly effective on special, key dates, Schneider says – «Days on which you set the main course of your life.» That’s supposed to put you in an advantageous mindset right from the start of your day – «A mindset that makes me feel that I’m confident, have all the answers to all the questions, and can call on my skills at any time.»