Thought challenging — identifying and evaluating the automatic negative thoughts driving sport and competition — is the core skill of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.
Identifying Automatic Negative Thoughts in Sport and Competition
Automatic negative thoughts (ANTs) in sport and competition are fast, involuntary, and often taken as facts. They drive sport and competition while remaining unexamined.
Common ANT patterns in sport and competition: catastrophizing, all-or-nothing thinking, mind-reading, personalization.
The Thought Challenging Process for Sport and Competition
- Notice the thought: 'I just had the thought that...'
- Identify the distortion: What type of thinking error is this?
- Examine the evidence: What actually supports this thought? What contradicts it?
- Generate alternatives: What's a more accurate and helpful perspective?
- Rate the change: How do you feel now compared to before?
Building the Skill Over Time for Sport and Competition
Initially, thought challenging requires deliberate effort. With practice, the mind automatically generates balanced perspectives when sport and competition-related thoughts arise.