Psychologist offers four techniques to manage performance anxiety, including a 'pretend flush' to move past mistakes
Sport and performance psychologist Cindra Kamphoff has published a book titled The Confidence Habit: 7 Core Practices to Transform Self-Doubt to Self-Belief, released in September. The book presents techniques for managing anxiety in high-stakes situations such as athletic competitions, job interviews, and public presentations. One method, which she calls "learn, burn, return," includes a step where a person physically mimics flushing a mistake down a toilet to mentally let it go.
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Cindra Kamphoff, a psychologist with a PhD in sport and performance psychology who has worked with the Minnesota Vikings and USA Track & Field, draws on personal and professional experience in her new book. NPR's Life Kit reported that Kamphoff first developed some of these strategies while running a 2012 marathon, where at Mile 22 she experienced self-doubt and relied on positive phrases she had written on her arm to maintain focus. She went on to win the race in her division and ran her final four miles faster than any other segment of the race.
The book outlines four tools in particular, as described by NPR. The first is "learn, burn, return": after a mistake, a person identifies what they learned, uses a physical motion — such as snapping fingers, saying "that fast," or miming a toilet flush — to signal moving on, and then rebuilds self-confidence. Kamphoff reportedly taught the toilet-flush motion to former Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen, who used it after fumbling during a 2020 playoff game before catching a 43-yard pass that contributed to a Vikings victory, according to NPR.
The second tool involves self-talk. Kamphoff recommends constructing a "power phrase" beginning with "I will," "I can," or "I am," and connecting it to evidence of past preparation or ability. She cites the American Psychological Association's position that self-affirmations, even in small doses, can have lasting effects on self-esteem.