Administrator

One of the biggest challenges for educators and coaches over the past several years has been finding proven methods for engaging young people in creating self-direction, and empowering them to overcome the obstacles in their lives. In other words, how can we get students, and student-athletes to be more intrinsically engaged in their endeavors, and best manage their emotions and behaviors?

There is a difference between motivation and self-regulation. Students, and athletes, can be motivated to succeed yet lack the necessary regulatory skills to get started, or to complete the task.

By establishing and connecting with your personal preparation (mental and physical), understanding and acknowledging your unique qualities, and celebrating with the people who believe in you, you begin to embrace improvement and feel good about your effort and progress. This creates a cycle of success! When we experience any degree of success, we learn to look for, and expect, good things to happen. You begin to feel in control of your life, and your sport.

Unpleasant emotions (anger, fear, sadness) outnumber pleasant ones (happiness) by a ratio of 3:1. Convincing empirical evidence indicates the evolutionary progression of our brain’s development trends negatively, suggesting that our reptilian brains were formed for the sole purpose of avoiding threats to survival, thus creating an inherent fight, flight, or freeze response. This unavoidable and integrated relationship with negativity has been with human beings ever since. As a result, we tend to view setbacks and difficulties as either a comment on our character, or as a problem to be fixed.

The mind (energy and information flow in the brain) is created by the brain. Our brains learn mostly by what the mind attends to, and what we attend to necessarily change’s our brain. For example, when we remember a joyful occasion, we are more prone to be playful and creative in the present moment.

Subconscious Learning – Distribute your study time throughout the day. Block out study sessions into 2, 3, and 4 sessions each day. Why? Learning occurs constantly. Blocking out segments allows you to re-engage the material, dig up what you already know, and re-store it. For example, one four hour study session is not as beneficial as 2x2 hour sessions, or 3x90 minute sessions. Rest or sleep at some point during the day. Why? Learning occurs constantly. Study every subject every day!

Context Effect – Vary your routine and study locations.

Developing mental skills for performance (athletic, arts), habit control, weight loss, injury rehabilitation, and self-confidence is an important strategy for enjoying a life well lived. Hypnosis can be an excellent, and effective method for attaining such goals. Contrary to popular notions of an hypnotic state (now, act like a chicken!), the process for engaging in a trance-like state is actually quite common.

Numerous researchers (Ryff & Keyes, 1995), Peterson, Park and Seligman (2005), and Keyes (2009) have found that young people reported having more developed feelings of emotional well-being than they did a sense of psycholical well-being.  Keyes' central question became; "is it ok for children to feel happy, but rarely challenged, and frequently disconnected?" Keyes' question is central to out times. He called for youth programs that both challenge (at the short-term expense of hedonic well-being) and support adolescents to grow. Academic achievement, community involvement, and good inter-personal relationships all require hard work and attention.