Hack Your Brain with Visualization

What is visualization?

Visualization allows us to give our brain's a "practice run" at doing a task before we actually do it. When used correctly, visualization is a powerful tool that helps us to feel confident and motivated to achieve our goals. When done properly, visualization allows us to consciously tell our brain and body how we will feel when doing something. It's a powerful brain hack and one of the methods used in anxiety treatment to overcome performance anxiety.

How does it work?

Choose what you want to do - be sure to choose the action, rather than the reward. In our example of training for a marathon, don't picture yourself crossing the finish line and receiving your finisher medal. Picture yourself actively doing today's training routine.

It may sound counter-intuitive to focus on today's training, rather than focusing on our ultimate goal. Most of us are taught to keep our "eyes on the prize" when we are working toward an achievement. But, when we imagine ourselves getting what we want, our brain's reward centers interpret that as having achieved it. Because of this, imagining success can actually prevent us from reaching our goals.

There's likely been a point in your life when you decided you wanted to reach a goal and told people that you were working on achieving that goal. People may have been supportive. Maybe they said you were strong, capable, or that they knew you would do it. And for a short time you felt good, and then it quickly went away. Your motivation was just... gone. There's a good chance that it was because the reward centers in your brain already perceived yourself as having achieved the goal. And why would your brain feel rewarded by a tedious slog through the actual work of achievement when it's already felt the high of winning? Visualizing ourselves achieving can actually derail us.

A man getting derailed by imagining success instead of the process.

When we visualize doing something, rather than having achieved something, motor neurons in our brain are activated as though we were actually doing it. This allows us to trigger those neurons to perform the way we want them to. When we visualize ourselves feeling good, strong, and fast during today's training session we activate our motor neurons. Those neurons fire the same way when we imagine running as they do when we are running. At the same time, our reward centers aren't activated - so we preserve the ability to feel a sense of achievement after we've trained today.

How do you do it?

When you visualize, make sure to completely immerse yourself in the imagery. Go beyond knowing that you're going for a run and focus on the details of the experience. Use all of your senses.

Choose something that you plan to do today because it'll help you reach a larger goal. We'll stick with the marathon training example. Imagine yourself on today's run. Picture yourself getting ready for your run. Feel what it's like to put your shoes on. Feel the laces as you tighten them. Hear the sound of your shoes hitting the pavement. What is the air like around you? What time of day is it? Now imagine yourself a little farther into the run. What does the air feel like now? What can you hear? Are there cars? Birds? People? What do you notice?

Imagine feeling strong throughout your body. Imagine the feeling of confidence knowing that you're having a good run today. How will you know that you're having a good run? Do you feel light? Does it feel easy? Do you feel strong? Imagine feeling powerful. How do you feel that power in your body? In your arms? In your chest? In your legs.

Now imagine that you're nearing the end of your run. Feel yourself ending strong. Do you feel like you could do another mile or two? What does that confidence feel like in your body? How has the air changed during your run? How do your lungs feel?

Finally, imagine yourself in the last few steps. Feel the confidence in those steps. Feel your head held high. What can you see? What are you hearing? How do you know that you've accomplished what you set out to do? How do you feel now? Relaxed? Calm? Happy? Content?

Now that you've immersed yourself in imagining your successful run, go out and do it.

What to do when your brain won't play along?

Sometimes we have a mental block and we just can't make our brain imagine ourselves doing well. You may have been able to focus on your positive imagery for a short time, and then suddenly could only see failure. This happens for a variety of reasons, none of which are because you're destined to fail.

When you find yourself hijacked by negative thoughts:

1 - stop the visualization

2 - take a breath

3 - Tell yourself, "that's just a thought" and let it go

4 - return to the positive visualization

The first few times you try this it will be difficult. Keep doing it. As you practice being able to let go of the negative thought, it will become easier to focus only on your positive imagery.

Getting better with practice

Visualization is a skill, just like typing, driving a car, or running. At first, it will be difficult. Practice. Each time you visualize yourself doing something successfully, it will get easier. Each time you recognize and let go of the negative thoughts, it will get easier. Incorporate visualization into your daily routine. It only takes a minute or two and it will help you build strong neurological connections both with the skill you are developing and the skill of using visualization itself.

You can do this.

If you're in the Colorado Springs area and want to find out more about how performance counseling can help you,