🏁 Ever felt like you were sinking into self-doubt mid-run?

When your legs are ready – but your thoughts say “Nope.”

Zipylyna did – and it got messy.

But Zipyly had a simple mindset tool that pulled her out of the mental quicksand.

(And no, it wasn’t magic. Just brain science with a red hat.)

It all started with confidence.

Zipylyna stood at the edge of the park trail, rainbow hair bouncing, headband tight.

“Today’s the day I crush that 10K,” she whispered. “I’m basically a sports documentary waiting to happen.”

Two minutes later, her inner narrator had changed its tone:

“Why do my legs feel like pudding?”

“Why is that guy in sandals faster than me?”

“I can’t do this. I knew I shouldn’t have tried.”

And then – splat.

She wasn’t on the path anymore. She was knee-deep in The Swamp of Self-Doubt.

A dark, gooey mental mess filled with thought-bubbles like:

  • “I’m not good enough.”
  • “This was a dumb idea.”
  • “Everyone’s better than me anyway.”

Zipylyna froze. Her confidence evaporated like sweat on asphalt.

She looked down. The more she thought, the deeper she sank.

Classic case of Overthinking Quicksand.

Just then, something rustled behind a bush.

Out stepped Zipyly, cool as always – red cap, yellow gloves, nerdy brilliance in his eyes.

“Ah,” he said, with a knowing nod. “You’re stuck in the Swamp again.”

He reached out with a sturdy branch.

On it was carved the phrase:

“You’ve done hard things before.”

Zipylyna blinked. “Yeah, but what if I fail this time?”

Zipyly crouched beside her. “You’re not failing. You’re thinking. That’s different. Let me show you something.”

💡 Zipyly’s Tool: The Reality Reframe

Step 1: Catch the voice.

When you hear the inner critic say “I can’t do this”, pause and label it.

Zipyly calls it “Bog Talk.”

Step 2: Ask, ‘Is it true?’

Have you done anything similar before? Even just showing up today counts.

Step 3: Talk to yourself like a coach, not a bully.

Try this:

🗯️ “This is tough, but I’ve faced worse.”

🗯️ “Feeling unsure doesn’t mean I’m failing.”

🗯️ “What would I tell a friend right now?”

Zipylyna grabbed the branch. “Okay. So… I’m not a failure. I’m just in a moment.”

“Exactly,” said Zipyly. “And the trail’s still waiting.”

✅ Takeaway:

Self-doubt doesn’t mean stop.

It means slow down, breathe, shift perspective.

And sometimes, it just means… reach for the right branch.

📚 Sources & Further Reading

  • Beck AT, Haigh EAP (2014): Advances in Cognitive Theory and Therapy: The Generic Cognitive Model. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology.
  • Bandura A. (1997): Self-Efficacy: The Exercise of Control. W.H. Freeman.
  • Gross JJ (2015): Emotion regulation: Current status and future prospects. Psychological Inquiry.

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Because sometimes, a smart pause beats a spiral of “Bog Talk.”

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