A common scenario within high performance domains is managing and performing to our highest level in big moments and high pressure situations.
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+.
Within the domain of high performance, it is often the case that we encounter big moments. In these scenarios, we strive to perform to the best of our abilities and at our highest level. These situations may include tryouts for important teams or competitions for championships. It is also important to recognize that similar big moments also occur in other domains of life. We may experience similar situations when we are having important conversations with friends or loved ones. We may encounter such situations when we are experiencing significant challenges or threats to our overall health. One of the commonalities across all of these scenarios is that in these situations we strive to be the best version of ourselves.
Whether within high performance domains or in the pursuit of health and wellbeing, when we encounter these big moments, we are often exposed to significant cues of uncertainty, risk, or threat. As has been discussed throughout this article series, when we experience such cues, we often will experience a shift in biological state towards activated, attacking, anxious, overwhelmed, and shutdown states. When these biological state shifts occur, it is inevitably the case that we will not be able to perform to our highest level as we have lost the important attributes inherent within anchored and grounded states. In order to perform at our highest capacity, the mobilized performance states are necessary.
The above understanding leads to the recognition that it becomes important to develop the ability to maintain an element of anchored and grounded states and shift towards the mobilized performance states when we encounter big moments. This is equally important within high performance domains as within the pursuit of health and wellbeing across other areas of our life. Within professional and high level competitive sports, this scenario unfolds frequently. Given the high visibility nature of these pursuits, we can learn important lessons from athletes within these domains.
Within the domain of performance psychology, particularly applied to professional athletes and high level competitive sports, there are frequent recommendations regarding how best to perform in these big moments. A prominent performance psychologist, Michael Gervais, PhD, advocates strongly in favor of a perspective in which we consider all moments to be equal in nature and significance. From this perspective, he describes that there is no such thing as a big moment as the only moment that we have access to and can experience is the present moment. Within this paradigm, the championship game would not be considered to be any larger of a moment than any given practice. The understanding which underlies this perspective is that by treating every moment as similar in nature, it facilitates the ability to be in the present moment. The hope becomes that by considering the championship game, or other similar big moment, to be no more significant than an everyday occurrence, such as a practice, that we will not become overwhelmed by the added external attention and pressures which may be associated with what are considered to be big moments.
It is important to consider the above perspective within the framework of the Practices of the Healthcare Athlete. While the paradigm advocated by Dr. Gervais has its advantages, it does rest on an assumption that ultimately our psychology can override our physiology. In essence, his perspective is that we are able to control our thinking through our psychological skills to the point that no matter the attention, spotlight, or external pressures which may accompany a big moment, such as the championship game, these skills will override whatever physical reactions we may have in those moments. The underlying rationale is that this allows us to be present in that specific situation thereby allowing us to perform at our highest capacity.
Whether or not the perspective that there is no such thing as a big moment is accurate and applicable then becomes dependent upon the following question. Ultimately, is it true that our psychology and related skills can override any physical reactions or physiological changes we may experience in any given moment. If it is true that our psychological skills are able to do this, then we can utilize the perspective advocated above that there is no such thing as a big moment. If, on the other hand, this presumption is not true, then in situations in which our physiology and physical responses to a given moment override our psychology, we will be left with no actionable strategies to return back to an optimal performance state.
The answer to the above fundamental question from the perspective of the Practices of the Healthcare Athleteis that when there is a discordance between our psychology and our physiology, it is our physiological responses which will ultimately prevail and overcome any attempt at utilization of psychological skills. This perspective is not merely subjective. The basis for this understanding lies in our neurophysiology.
Specifically, when we encounter a situation which elicits a significant physiological response, this will affect our amygdala which in turn shifts our salience network towards a negativity bias. Concurrently, as a result of the response from our amygdala, there will also be activation of the hypothalamic pituitary axis and increased sympathetic activation. This also leads to a simultaneous reduction in prefrontal cortical activity and executive functioning. These processes have been described in further detail in past articles. On account of these changes, our capacity to utilize and effectively implement cognitive skills is significantly reduced. These changes occur instantaneously and beneath conscious awareness. As such, we are not able to voluntarily control them. These neurophysiological mechanisms suggest that when there is a discordance between our physiological reactions and our psychological perspective, it is the physiology which will ultimately override the psychology.
On account of the above understanding, it becomes important to first recognize that our physiology will override our psychology. As such it is ultimately not possible to fully utilize the perspective that there’s no such thing as a big moment. While this philosophy will be effective in situations in which we are able to maintain anchored and grounded states, we will inevitably experience situations, should we push the level of our capacity to the extremes of our ability, where our physiology and its related responses will override our psychology for the reasons discussed above.
When our physiology overrides our psychology, there will be related shifts in biological state into activated, attacking, anxious, overwhelmed, and shutdown states. This will limit our ability to perform to our capacity. This will also limit our ability to be the best version of our self. As such, it is important that we have alternate strategies to implement in these big moments.
Within the paradigm provided by the Practices of the Healthcare Athlete, the primary strategy to implement in big moments, or any situation in which our physiology and its responses overwhelm our psychology, is to implement body-based skills and somatic practices to cause a biological state shift back towards anchored and grounded states. These specific skills and tactics have been discussed in past articles. A particularly powerful skill is the use of breathing using a resonance pattern with a prolonged exhalation relative to inhalation with diaphragmatic breathing mechanics. Once we have regained an element of anchored and grounded state, we can then re-introduce psychological skills to further strengthen the anchored and grounded states.
The above strategy provided by the Practices of the Healthcare Athlete is biologically complementary in nature. It is effective across all scenarios and situations which we may encounter. The effectiveness of accomplishing the desired biological state shifts, particularly in response to big moments, is dependent upon our level of preparation and practice in advance of encountering these scenarios.
The above discussion illustrates the importance of developing both mind-based and body-based skills in a biologically complementary fashion in order to optimally leverage our biology in the pursuit of health, wellbeing, and sustainable high performance. As discussed above, as well as in prior articles, an overemphasis on mind-based skills will lead ultimately to situations in which we encounter biological state shifts away from anchored and grounded states on account of our physiologic responses overriding our psychology. Without having developed sufficient capacity to implement body-based skills in these situations, we will inevitably be left with a decreased ability to regain anchored and grounded states and the optimal performance states.
As can be understood from the discussion above, the perspective that there are no big moments rests on a presumption that psychological skills will be able to overcome any physiological responses and biological state shifts. This paradigm can be effective so long as our biological state does not shift away from anchored and grounded states. However, the limitation of this framework is that once our biological state does shift into activated, attacking, anxious, overwhelmed, or shutdown states, it will no longer be effective. Such shifts are more likely during big moments and high demand situations due to cues of uncertainty, risk, and threat across the internal, external, and relational pathways. These cues are more numerous and often more intense during these types of situations.
In the pursuit of sustainable high performance, as well as in the inevitable challenges in everyday life, there will become scenarios in which the cues we encounter will lead to a shift in biological state way from anchored and grounded states. In such a scenario, the perspective that there are no big moments will not provide effective strategies to manage the situation. The perspective that there are no big moments rests on the ability to implement the cognitive skills and intellectual perspective that all we can ever encounter is the present moment. In reality, however, large and significant moments are associated with significant and numerous potential cues along the internal, external, and relational pathways of uncertainty, risk, and threat. For this reason there will become a point at which we do not have sufficient cognitive capacity to override these physiological cues towards shifts in biological state away from anchored and grounded states. When this scenario occurs, we will experience such shifts and lose the cognitive capacity to maintain the perspective that no moment is more significant than any other. The framework provided by the Practices of the Healthcare Athlete provides actionable strategies and tactics to leverage our biology from any biological state shift we may encounter.
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+.
REFERENCES
Gervais, M; Carroll, P. Compete to Create: An Approach to Living and Leading Authentically. Audible Original; 2020.
Gervais, M; Lake, K. The First Rule of Mastery: Stop Worrying About What People Think of You. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Publishing, 2024.