Mind Makeover

You walk into the ring and from the outside youre looking pretty good with wellscrubbed tack a freshly bathed horse laundered riding coat and boots so shiny you need sunglasses. 
But on the inside things are a little messy. Youre feeling somewhat confused and overwhelmed. You cant even remember what your intention was when you began getting ready this morning. Inside your head its like theres a battle going on between a GPS and the worst backseat driver and neither will win. You feel like making a run for it.

You are in desperate need of a mind makeover. Identify the parts that arent working and get some productive chatter going. With a little work it can be just as doable as putting together an immaculate turnout.
Bad Thinking Habits
Many of us perceive bad thinking as negative thinking inner chatter telling yourself that you cant do something or creating nasty labels for yourself that you wouldnt dare reveal in public. But bad thinking habits are different. They arent quite as loud flashy and obvious as our old friend the inner critic but they can do just as much damage. Bad thinking habits are styles of thinking that shut down possibility and problem solving. They deplete your energy in insidious ways and infiltrate your riding pleasure.
See if you find any of the following thinking habits familiar then make it your priority to clean out your mental closet.
Should 
Many riders dont see the initial problem with telling themselves that they should and have to do something. It can feel motivating to some but as the sheer numbers of these kinds of statements accumulate it can feel more like pressure.
Not only did I think I should not have bad riding lessons or make mistakes I thought my horse should always behave the way I wanted him to. And I do mean always said Dennis a selfproclaimed perfectionist.
Not surprisingly should thinking often goes along with perfectionism. After all should is a way of stating an expectation in the most rigid way. If you tend to think this way you also need to ask yourself whether you extend these statements to others.
Do you believe your horse your coach and your friends should behave a certain way? Do you often feel disappointed when they dont?
Makeover If you are feeling a lot of pressure from shoulding there are a few fixes. One is to be a little freer or