All protocols

Perform mental training sessions three to five times per week for best effect.

Once the skill is consolidated and improved in the real world, you do not need to continue mental training to maintain it; move on to another sequence or skill.

If injured or unable to train physically, use mental rehearsal of previously learned sequences to maintain or even improve performance, provided you've done that motor sequence before in the real world.

Use first-person mental rehearsal, imagining the skill from inside your own body rather than watching yourself from outside. For pure cognitive tasks that do not lend themselves to overt movement, close your eyes and perform the task internally from a first-person perspective.

Use video or audio of yourself performing the target skill as a visualization aid, ideally on loop for the specific aspect of performance you want to improve. If using third-person rehearsal, prefer actual video or audio of yourself rather than trying to imagine yourself from a third-person perspective with eyes closed.

If the challenge is doing the wrong thing at the wrong time or failing to withhold an action, combine mental training with physical training rather than relying on physical training alone. When training action initiation and inhibition, include both go and no-go trials rather than always practicing only one type.

Repeatedly doing mental training and visualization improves your ability to visualize itself, a form of metaplasticity.

Check in and notice where stress is being held in the body, such as clenched hands, tense shoulders, or fists; presented as step one to releasing stress.

Get away from stress triggers in the office, city, or around food and move to an environment that feels calming; also suggested as a strong strategy for interrupting cravings.

Create a small pre-designated physical space that represents a safe zone.

Use comforting pets, positive pictures or photographs, pleasant smells, and music as safety signals in the environment to calm stress; keeping a photograph that evokes positive memories with you was noted as especially helpful for alleviating stress and enhancing mood.

Use this self-statement when catching yourself rehearsing, reliving, or worrying about stress.

During moderate stress lasting days or months, notice whether you are acutely coping or whether you can restore; daily restoration is described as very important.

Use for uncontrollable chronic stressors that cannot be changed; includes identifying unwanted unchangeable situations, noticing how much time you spend worrying or problem-solving them, circling the stressors you cannot change, and using cues like 'drop the rope' to stop trying to solve unsolvable problems and reduce chronic stress load.

Before going into a stressor, list your resources, remind yourself of past successes, and recall someone you can call or text for support.

Remind yourself that the outcome will not affect your life in 5 or 10 years.

Use believable coping statements before or during stress, such as 'I got this,' 'I can do it,' 'I can get through it,' or 'I have what it takes.'

Also described as 'surf the urge'; watch the craving pass with time rather than immediately consuming.

Use actions like push-ups or taking a walk to interrupt cravings and help get away from food.

Create safe environments at home and in the workplace where soda is not available.

Suggested as a more considerate and healthier workplace option; replacing visible junk food with fruit can reduce impulsive eating of donuts.

Use highly processed food as a mindful eating exercise by eating it very slowly and mindfully to reveal that it is often less rewarding than expected; this also teaches eating slowly and enjoying small amounts of rewarding food to reduce bingeing.

Use a small amount of rewarding food, such as milk or dark chocolate, eaten slowly to learn enjoyment without needing fullness or bingeing.

Part of the pregnancy intervention, combined with mindful eating and stress reduction.

Use reminder cards, Post-its on the fridge, or phone timers to prompt mindfulness practice.

Close your eyes, feel your body, and label your emotions; described as necessary though not sufficient. In the pregnancy intervention, this was practiced during the week and paired with about 10 minutes per day of mindfulness.

Use practices such as prenatal yoga, Qigong, or even slow walking as mind-body movement; in the pregnancy intervention, participants also increased their walking.

Being in nature described as a strong stimulus and environment that sends safety signals.

For dealing with uncertainty, shift out of an alert predictive posture by leaning back, taking slow breaths, and entering a receptive mode that is curious about what arises.

Studied as a positive stress intervention; described as creating feelings of elation and boosting daily positive emotion over time.