How to psych yourself up

There have been several times when you tell yourself, I need to psych myself up for this or someone said to you, you need to psych yourself for this situation.

But the question is, is it that easy to psych yourself up for that situation that is causing you so much stress and anxiety?

Many people find it very difficult to have that mental fortitude to fight any stressor they may be experiencing in their lives.

I want to share with you five important and practical ways to psych yourself up for any situation.

According to the Collins English Dictionary, to psych yourself up means to get (oneself or another) into a state of psychological readiness for an action, performance, etc.

Firstly, let’s talk about Imagination. Imagination is basically the ability of human beings to explore ideas and concepts that are not present in their current life.

You need to imagine yourself succeeding at the task ahead of you. See yourself attaining your goal. If you have negative images popping up in your mind, sweep them away.

Your readiness to perform and succeed at a task is dependent on how you can purposefully imagine its attainment.

Albert Einstein eloquently stated, “imagination is everything. It is the preview for life’s coming attractions”.

When we turn our thoughts to that which we want to create in our lives, the possibilities are endless.

If we can only imagine it, we can do it.

The second is self talk. Replace the doubts and negativity with positive words/confessions. Never have negative thoughts about your chances.

In self talk, use words like, “I've got this”, “It is possible”, and “I am strong and ready for this”. These self talks have a powerful effect on how our brain responses to challenges and tasks in ways we may not know.

The next is getting started. Psych yourself up by getting started. The motivation and readiness to do something is reduced when we procrastinate and relax on what we have to do. Distractions are everywhere, but it’s on you to remove them or ignore them.

Put away your phone, turn off the tv, tell people you’re not to be disturbed. Your time is important, and if you let yourself focus, you can get started much easier.

When you’re starting out, you’re at the farthest point from your goal, and lots of things seem overwhelming. But if you take it one step at a time, and focus on the most immediate challenge first, things will be a bit easier moving forward.

The fourth way of psyching yourself up is through Music. Music has a way of affecting our mood and state of mind that we less realize. Listen to songs that make you feel good and make you feel ready for situation life presents you.

There is a good reason why you find it easier to exercise while you listen to music — researchers have found that listening to fast-paced music motivates people to work out harder.

The right music can make all the difference when you're trying to be productive and get a task done. Get some pump up songs. It will boost your readiness and confidence.

Lastly, stop comparing yourself with others - one of the things that brings so much discontentment in our lives is comparing ourselves with other people. Know that the race of life is run individually. For you to be psyched up for that activity, remember you are in a race with yourself to be better.

Don't compare yourself with what others have achieved or not. In getting ready for any activity, be focused on your task. When you allow the thought that others are doing better than you, you lose track of what you have to do to achieve that goal.

Remember, everyone's brains work a little differently. What might work for one person might not work for everybody. But these strategies in general are helpful to psych you up and get you ready for any task.