You are or you are not? The choice is yours
Self-talk includes all the purposeful and random thoughts that run through an divers mind, it includes all the things said both silently and out loud. Self-talk is simply the realization that you are talking to yourself. What you have to say is truly important to how you achieve your goals. It can be positive and it can be negative. Reading some of the threads on different chat boards I find it interesting how some people are self defeating in their quest to become better divers. Also equally noted is how some divers see themselves and are delusional in their own assessment of what quality of diver they perceive themselves to be - lets be real folks we all have had a time or two we thought that way.
Self-talk is usually thought to be a negative trait suggesting a degree of insanity. How often have we rolled our eyes at someone for doing just that. In fact it is just the opposite and is a useful means of helping us through times of anxiety in moments of stress to improving our performance in multiple aspects of our lives, physically and psychologically.
We have all heard the phrase" think happy thoughts, be positive". Over a day during our awake hours and as some would suggest our sleeping time too, we spend most of our time talking to ourselves even if only within our thoughts. Occasionally we answer. All in an attempt to better or justify our disposition; are we nervously stressed or are we building our confidence?
A diver having a difficult time diving in low visibility may have preconceived notions of a sudden lost of depth, the ability to perform an air share or wondering what dangerous creature lurks behind the next stone or reef outcropping. Similarly a diver may feel they have the ability to make that dive into the technical realm past the 130 ft mark or into a overhead environment, due to ego, bravado or just simple plain curiosity. In both cases the diver has self talked themselves into their situation. One thinking positive (possibly wrong) and the other thinking negative (again possibly wrong). Why possibly wrong? because both situations may place the diver at risk. They have self-talked themselves into a dive they in reality may not be ready or correctly prepared to make.
There is a saying that goes something to the effect of "If you think you can or you think you cannot, you are correct" Applying this to scuba diving, to life, one must be careful not to put oneself at risk. The way you think will affect what you do and how you do it.
A reality check must be carried out. The first step to using self-talk is to be real about who you are and putting things into perspective. Know your training, know and accept your limits and be mature in thought. When you feel anxious, depressed or stressed-out your self-talk is likely to become extreme, youll be more likely to expect the worst and focus on the most negative aspects of your situation. So, its helpful to try and put things into their proper perspective. You can equally feel excited about something and use positive self-talk to support your choice, even if it is the wrong choice because you didn't accept the reality of the situation. A reality perspective check is the first step.
Secondly you should look for alternative solutions. What is it you are telling yourself? Can it be achieved in another way and how such that it will be acceptable to me? If I were truly positive how would I perceive it?
Third; is to use goal-directed-milestones. Is this way of thinking helping me achieve and feel good about my goals? What must I do to achieve my desires in a safe and realistic manner? And finally what lessons learned can I gain from this experience that will better me as a diver?
Recognizing that your self-talk can be self defeating or cause a blind sense of delusion of your limits and skills, it can motivate you to look at things in a different perspective. You can challenge your self-talk by being realistic and viewing the activity in a different perspective. A true positive spin on it can make the difference of bettering your diving skills and experiences or simply surviving them.
Self-talk includes all the purposeful and random thoughts that run through an divers mind, it includes all the things said both silently and out loud. Self-talk is simply the realization that you are talking to yourself. What you have to say is truly important to how you achieve your goals. It can be positive and it can be negative. Reading some of the threads on different chat boards I find it interesting how some people are self defeating in their quest to become better divers. Also equally noted is how some divers see themselves and are delusional in their own assessment of what quality of diver they perceive themselves to be - lets be real folks we all have had a time or two we thought that way.
Self-talk is usually thought to be a negative trait suggesting a degree of insanity. How often have we rolled our eyes at someone for doing just that. In fact it is just the opposite and is a useful means of helping us through times of anxiety in moments of stress to improving our performance in multiple aspects of our lives, physically and psychologically.
We have all heard the phrase" think happy thoughts, be positive". Over a day during our awake hours and as some would suggest our sleeping time too, we spend most of our time talking to ourselves even if only within our thoughts. Occasionally we answer. All in an attempt to better or justify our disposition; are we nervously stressed or are we building our confidence?
A diver having a difficult time diving in low visibility may have preconceived notions of a sudden lost of depth, the ability to perform an air share or wondering what dangerous creature lurks behind the next stone or reef outcropping. Similarly a diver may feel they have the ability to make that dive into the technical realm past the 130 ft mark or into a overhead environment, due to ego, bravado or just simple plain curiosity. In both cases the diver has self talked themselves into their situation. One thinking positive (possibly wrong) and the other thinking negative (again possibly wrong). Why possibly wrong? because both situations may place the diver at risk. They have self-talked themselves into a dive they in reality may not be ready or correctly prepared to make.
There is a saying that goes something to the effect of "If you think you can or you think you cannot, you are correct" Applying this to scuba diving, to life, one must be careful not to put oneself at risk. The way you think will affect what you do and how you do it.
A reality check must be carried out. The first step to using self-talk is to be real about who you are and putting things into perspective. Know your training, know and accept your limits and be mature in thought. When you feel anxious, depressed or stressed-out your self-talk is likely to become extreme, youll be more likely to expect the worst and focus on the most negative aspects of your situation. So, its helpful to try and put things into their proper perspective. You can equally feel excited about something and use positive self-talk to support your choice, even if it is the wrong choice because you didn't accept the reality of the situation. A reality perspective check is the first step.
Secondly you should look for alternative solutions. What is it you are telling yourself? Can it be achieved in another way and how such that it will be acceptable to me? If I were truly positive how would I perceive it?
Third; is to use goal-directed-milestones. Is this way of thinking helping me achieve and feel good about my goals? What must I do to achieve my desires in a safe and realistic manner? And finally what lessons learned can I gain from this experience that will better me as a diver?
Recognizing that your self-talk can be self defeating or cause a blind sense of delusion of your limits and skills, it can motivate you to look at things in a different perspective. You can challenge your self-talk by being realistic and viewing the activity in a different perspective. A true positive spin on it can make the difference of bettering your diving skills and experiences or simply surviving them.
