How to Silence the Voices of Self-Doubt

By: Tom Danielson, CINCH Cycling

July 21, 2022

Do you ever succumb to the voices of self-doubt that creep in during the tough moments?

Well you are not alone, so do I.  In this blog I share a strategy I use in my coaching program to help athletes silence these voices and hit their goals.

So how do you stop the voices of doubt: One way communication once the interval or race starts.

One way communication means you are telling your body what to do, how to feel, and what you want.  The reason for this is once the effort starts, all those voices of doubt creep in.  It is normal to feel vulnerable and search for reasons why we shouldn’t try or push through the pain IN THE MOMENT.  But once you commit to starting, you must commit to finishing your best, no matter what.

But isn’t this against what we are taught, to listen to our bodies?  No.  The time for the two-way communication is PRIOR to taking the start line of the race or beginning the interval.  

In the days, hours, and minutes before your event or effort it is critical that you have honest two-way conversations with yourself.  This is the time to really look at how you feel, what was your sleep last night, is your stress level high, what has your nutrition been like, etc.  In these two-way conversations you must come to a conclusion on if you are going to take the start and what are your targets.  In these conversations you may pivot to a new plan which may even include taking the day off.

But once you decide on the plan to take the start of your race or workout, all discussions end.  You take the phone off the hook from the voices and focus on only telling your body what to do.

Sounds easy right, well it’s not!  So this (truthful conversations with yourself prior to the start and one way communication requires lots and lots of practice.  Start working on it during your easier training sessions and expand your practice to include your most difficult workouts as well as events.