Bringing the mind-based and body-based skills, strategies, and tactics to life to optimize complementary health requires a deliberate and intentional process.
Dr. Darin Davidson partners with Learner+, a CME/CE reflective learning platform for healthcare providers. For the opportunity to reflect on this article and earn CME/CE credits, Launch here. Check out all past articles which are also eligible for reflections and CME/CE credits.
For downloadable, actionable strategies and tactics to leverage biology in the pursuit of health, wellbeing, and sustainable high performance, visit the resource store, Launch here. Chapters are arranged by topic so those of interest can be selected and each are also eligible for reflections and CME/CE credits through Learner+.
Across the entirety of this article series, the mind-based and body-based skills, strategies, and tactics within the Practices of the Healthcare Athlete have been described in detail. The corresponding perspective of complementary health has also been discussed across its various inputs and levels. While the understanding of these concepts and principles is important, the ultimate benefit rests in bringing this paradigm to life. This allows for these skills, strategies, and tactics to be fully realized and embodied across all aspects of our life. In so doing we are able to more fully pursue health, wellbeing, and sustainable high performance.
There are several important factors to consider when bringing these practices to life. If we are to realize the highest potential for success in this endeavor, it is important that this is a deliberate and intentional process. In addition, it is important that we are honest with ourselves when evaluating our progress. The ability to implement adaptations and adjustments is also critical if we are to improve our overall ability to consistently implement these skills, strategies, and tactics.
One of the initial considerations in bringing these practices to life is developing a vision of what it is we wish to become. This is not simply acknowledgment of specific outcomes or results. Perhaps more importantly, this relates to the process we would like to follow and the way we would like to show up as we pursue our goals and objectives. Importantly, this also relates to the culture we are developing. The culture impacts not only ourselves, but all those around us. This is particularly important within team based endeavors.
With a vision of how it is we want to go about implementing the skills, strategies, and tactics in conjunction with how we would like to show up in our pursuit of our goals and objectives, we can then develop a specific plan to train the required skills. This includes not only the specific craft related skills which will be needed, but also the mind-based and body-based skills, strategies, and tactics within the complementary healthcare approach provided by the Practices of the Healthcare Athlete. When we have this understanding of a vision of what we want to become and, in particular, how we want to be as we pursue our goals, we are then able to implement the appropriate plan and assess our progress. We can then make the necessary adaptations and adjustments in order to further pursue our objectives. This involves a deliberate intention to self scout to determine not only what is working well but also where there is room for improvement and change.
Once we have a vision of what we wish to become and how we want to be in place and developed a plan to reach those goals and objectives, it becomes important to ensure that we are consistent across all opportunities. In essence, what this refers to is the understanding that each encounter, situation, and experience across all domains of our life become an opportunity to show up and demonstrate the vision of how we want to be and what we want to become. Through consistent implementation of our plan, we are able to progressively improve and embody the necessary skills, strategies, and tactics in order to reach our ultimate objective.
On a biological level, in large part this occurs on the basis of neuroplasticity. This concept has been discussed in past articles. In order to change and update our neural pathways in order to improve and develop our desired responses, it is essential that we are consistent in our attempts to implement our vision. With each successive opportunity and repetition, we will further strengthen the utilized neural pathways. This process is agnostic for whether or not the response and strategy utilized is in alignment or not with our overall vision. This is the neurophysiological basis for how habits, both desired and unintended, can become strongly ingrained. As this process is occurring whether we are deliberate and intentional about it or not, it is essential that we attempt to the greatest degree possible to implement repetitions of responses and utilization of skills, strategies, and tactics which are aligned with our overall vision.
Across all aspects of health, wellbeing, and the pursuit of sustainable high performance, it is inevitable that if we are regularly pushing the limits of our potential that we will experience not only successes, but also setbacks and obstacles. In order to grow and develop our abilities and capacity to the greatest degree possible, it is essential that we enhance the ability and intention to learn from each of these experiences. In particular, it is important that we learn from those situations in which things do not go our way or we experience setbacks. The perspective that is most applicable to this consideration is the idea of going through obstacles and not around them. When we experience setbacks, there is a significant amount we can learn about our ability with respect to craft specific skills, as well as our ability to implement the mind-based and body-based skills, strategies, and tactics. From a more comprehensive perspective, these situations also allow us to better evaluate our overall complementary health paradigm and process of embodying this perspective. When we can identify the lessons that can be learned, in particular from setbacks and obstacles, we can then improve our overall plan and ability to implement the necessary skills, strategies, and tactics.
The final consideration for discussion in this article is the importance of emphasizing the process of becoming what it is we wish within our vision rather than placing a focus on the outcome or results. While it is often the case that our overall plan is designed to achieve particular results and outcomes, it is only the process of implementing our plan that we have a degree of control over. For example, in a team sport we may have a goal of winning a championship, however, we are not the only team playing. There is another team against whom we are playing who also will have a say in the ultimate outcome. Understandably, we have no control over the other team and we only can control our own. This epitomizes the concept that we do not have control over the outcome, but rather can strongly influence our own process. That is the place upon which we should place our emphasis.
Not only is it important to emphasize process over outcome so that we have a measure of agency and self efficacy, it is also to prevent unintended cues toward activated, attacking, anxious, overwhelmed, and shutdown states. If we place too strong an emphasis on results and outcome and we do not meet those goals, this can become a strong cue towards shifts into protective and defensive states. As has been discussed throughout this article series, when we shift into these biological states, we are not able to optimally pursue health, wellbeing, or sustainable high performance. As such, one of the foundational paradigms within this perspective is to strengthen anchored and grounded states and improve nervous system flexibility. This allows us to shift our biology as much as possible towards anchored and grounded states. By avoiding an emphasis on results and outcomes, we remove a potential strong stimulus towards shifting away from anchored and grounded states.
The above discussion is intended to provide a framework with which we can implement the mind-based and body-based skills of the Practices of the Healthcare Athlete within a complementary health perspective towards accomplishing our goals and objectives. In order to give ourselves the best chance of being successful in this endeavor, it is important that the deliberate and Intentional perspective outlined above is implemented to the greatest extent possible.
To learn more, including about biologically complementary coaching for healthcare professionals and others in high demand domains, please visit www.darindavidson.com.
Dr. Darin Davidson partners with Learner+, a CME/CE reflective learning platform for healthcare providers. For the opportunity to reflect on this article and earn CME/CE credits, Launch here. Check out all past articles which are also eligible for reflections and CME/CE credits.
For downloadable, actionable strategies and tactics to leverage biology in the pursuit of health, wellbeing, and sustainable high performance, visit the resource store, Launch here. Chapters are arranged by topic so those of interest can be selected and each are also eligible for reflections and CME/CE credits through Learner+.