Success in cheerleading depends on more than executing all the right moves; it also relies on thinking in the right way.

I have been examining some common cognitive distortions cheerleaders (and all people) use which impede progress and undermine cheerleading performance.  Today I will talk about Fortune Telling.

In this form of jumping to conclusions, you “predict” what is going to happen in the future before it happens. “Oh, I know I’m not going to get on the squad.” “We’ll never make it to Nationals.”

Fortune telling can be an especially dangerous cognitive distortion because it can become a self fulfilling prophecy.  If you expect to do poorly, what do you think will happen?

Another way of explaining this is to say that fortune telling is a process of setting negative goals for yourself and living down to them!

Why set up negative goals for yourself?  Instead try saying, “I’m going to work hard in preparing for tryouts so I can feel confident and perform well.”  Or – “We’re going to do our best to make progress this year with the hope that we’ll be able to go to Nationals.”

See the difference?  Think this would make a difference in how you perform?  You betcha!

There are many things that can undermine cheerleading performance including the way you think!

In my last cheerleading blog post  (a long time ago…sorry for the delay!) I wrote about 3 forms of jumping to conclusions including Labeling, Fortune Telling and Mind Reading.  Today I will talk about Mind Reading.

In mind reading, your automatic thoughts assume the worst about what other people think about you and your work. It is often combined with other cognitive distortions. You may use a Mental Filter to screen out positive reactions and then read a whole set of negative reactions into what’s left.

Here’s an example:  Let’s say you are trying out for a cheerleading squad.  You arrive at the appointed time and place and you find yourself thinking, “The coach won’t want me on the team.  She won’t think I’m good enough.”

Whoah!  What happened here?  Coach has said nothing to you outside of “hello!”  For some reason, you have decided you can read the mind of coach.  Because this happens so automatically, you aren’t even aware this is going on; all you are aware of is an increase in your anxiety and discomfort. 

And how do you think his will affect your try-out performance? Of course it will undermine your performance which will then confirm your negative belief!

How do you turn this around?  As I’ve said many times – it’s important that you learn how you think…keep track of your thoughts so you can become aware of such cognitive distortions.

In this case, you can do this: Say to yourself, “How do I know what coach is thinking?  I really can’t read minds.  Maybe this is my anxiety talking.  Since I don’t really know what coach is thinking, I might as well assume it is something positive or at least neutral.  My job isn’t to read minds; it’s to perform as best as I can in this moment.”

This is yet another cognitive distortion that can interfere with cheerleading success.  In this case, you go beyond the evidence you actually have and reach a conclusion that makes things look worse than they are. It takes three distinct forms: Labeling, Mind Reading, and Fortune Telling.

Today I will deal with Labeling.

Here’s an example – You are finishing a practice session in which you just couldn’t hit an inverted back tuck. Each time you tried, you rotated a bit too soon.

What do you tell yourself?  If you tell yourself, “I’m a lousy flyer,” you are Labeling yourself. You are now “a lousy flyer.”  Instead of saying, “I couldn’t get it right today so I better ask coach for advice,” you ended up applying a negative label to a complex event.

Labeling leaves out more than it includes and it ignores the complexity of a given situation. There could be many reasons why you are having trouble with an inverted back tuck, but if you quickly Label yourself a “lousy flyer” you are closing off the opportunity to learn what’s interfering with your progress.

Here’s a better way of handling this situation: “I seem to be having trouble with my inverted back tuck.  It’s frustrating. I wonder what I’m doing wrong.  I can ask coach or some of the other cheerleaders to watch me and tell me what they observe.  Once I know what I’m doing wrong I can get help in correcting it.”

Do you see how this way leads to a plan of action?  Once you have a plan of action, your frustration will diminish because you have hope that things will improve!

So, watch out for Labeling!

A more extreme from of Magnifying and Minimizing is All-or-Nothing Thinking. 

Consider this cheerleading scenario.  Your cheerleading squad is at Nationals and you have come in 3^rd in your division.  You all know that your performance was excellent; you hit everything.  What’s your reaction? 

Do you smile with pleasure, knowing that your squad performed so well?  Are you angry that you didn’t place first? Are you complaining that the judging was unfair? 

Well, All-or-Nothing Thinking occurs when you wipe out everything positive and only look at the negative. This can have a snow ball effect such that EVERYTHING becomes negative.  So, in this case, the thinking would be look like this: “We lost.  We were terrible.  I should just get out of cheerleading.  I don’t think the coaching was good either. And the judges always pick that other squad. We’ll never come in first. This is the worst experience of my life.” 

See how easily misery can happen? Such cognitive distortions can discourage you from trying new things or deter you from taking good risks. 

Tip:  In a situation like this, the squad can benefit from a debriefing in which everyone is asked what  went well, what went very well, and what, if anything can be learned from the event.

Here’s a cheerleading scenario that could happen anywhere: Your friends see you perform for the first time.  You bobbled a bit during a pyramid but managed to hold it together. Afterwards, your friends tell you they thought your performance was amazing and they are impressed with you and your squad’s routine.  What do you say? 

Do you immediately point out every thing that went wrong with the routine?  Do you apologize to them for your “terrible” performance?  Or do you thank them graciously and enjoy their compliments? 

Well, just like Mental Filtering (see last post), Magnifying and Minimizing is another cognitive distortion that is a favorite of perfectionists.  In this case, you either Magnify every little thing that was not perfect or you Minimize every thing that was! 

Tip:  It’s fine to recognize when something does not go well as long as you can do so in an objective way, noting it, and resolving to figure out how to adjust so the problem can be fixed.  This is different from ruminating about it. 

Tip #2:  When someone compliments you, accept it graciously.  A compliment is a gift so accept it as such.  When you point out what they didn’t see you are spoiling it for them and for you!