Simply replacing positive thoughts with negative thoughts during a stressful athletic event is ineffective for another reason: negative thoughts (i.e. sticky thoughts) are your brain's way of telling you that your body is in danger - that's

why there is pain. They serve a purpose as a physiological survival mechanism. Instead of combating them, it is more effective to acknowledge their presence, relax into them, listen to their suggestions, and move on! This takes practice but shifts the thoughts out of the battle ground of the frontal cortex and lets the body do its job.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5butunHo7M&feature=youtu.be