The ability to move on to the next situation is a concept taken from sports settings, but is equally applicable across all domains of our life.
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 most domains of professional and high level competitive sports there is a common philosophy of focusing on the play or point at hand and quickly moving from the completed situation to focusing on the next and upcoming one. Regardless of the outcome of a play or point, the concept is to move on as quickly as possible to the next and upcoming one. This concept is applied to all situations irrespective of whether the previous scenario was successful or detrimental. Related to this is the idea of not becoming too high or too low in response to the previous situation or its result and outcome. There is much that we can learn from this perspective which we can apply across all domains of our life.
While the concept of moving on to the next play or point is taken directly from sports domains, the perspective is equally applicable across all aspects of our life, as well as in high performance in other domains. This idea is often described as a specific mindset, but when considered from the framework provided by the Practices of the Healthcare Athlete, it is evident that this is more than just a mindset. The integration of body-based skills and somatic practices is an essential component to implementing this perspective.
It is first important to understand the necessary components to be able to quickly move on to the next and upcoming situation. In particular when the completed prior scenario results in an adverse or beneficial and exciting outcome, it is essential that we implement mind-based and body-based skills if we are to move on to the next situation. Within these scenarios, particularly the aforementioned adverse or exciting outcomes, there is often an accompanying shift in biological state. Understandably, if the situation is adverse, this shift may be towards activated, attacking, anxious, overwhelmed, or shutdown states. Conversely, in response to positive and exciting situations there can also be a shift towards activated states on account of the associated positive emotion.
It is important to recognize that if we are to move on to the next and upcoming situation, it is necessary that we shift towards anchored and grounded states. It is from these states that we are able to focus on what is upcoming rather than dwell on what has occurred. This is particularly the case if the prior situation was adverse in nature and resulted in shifts into an anxious, overwhelmed, or shutdown state. Within these defensive and protective states, the emerging attributes will typically make it very difficult and interfere with the ability to focus on what is upcoming. The very nature of protective and defensive states is such that we may overly dwell on what has just occurred or become overly concerned with potential negative upcoming outcomes. Both scenarios make it very difficult, if not impossible, to fully focus and place attention on that which is upcoming. Ultimately, from protective and defensive states it is very challenging to leave the prior situation in the past and move on as a result of the inherent nature and attributes emerging from these states. When we have shifted towards anchored and grounded states, however, we enhance our capacity to recognize where our attention and focus is placed and, importantly, maintain the ability to utilize both mind-based and body-based skills, strategies, and tactics to choose where to place our attention for what is upcoming.
This understanding informs that in order to bring the perspective of moving on to the next situation to life, it is essential that we implement body-based skills. This allows us to shift towards anchored and grounded states, thereby allowing for the necessary and emerging attributes to contribute towards the ability to leave what has occurred in the past and move on to that which is occurring in the present and is upcoming in the immediate future. The ability to accomplish this rests on two strategies frequently discussed throughout this article series. Firstly, it is necessary that we have strong anchored and grounded states. This is important to reduce to the extent possible the shifts into activated, attacking, anxious, overwhelmed, and shutdown states in response to that which has recently occurred. Secondly, it is necessary to have a flexible nervous system. This provides us the ability to readily shift back towards anchored and grounded states when we have shifted away from these preferred states.
Across all domains of life, including the pursuit of health and wellbeing, as well as sustainable high performance, it is important that we develop the capacity to move on to the next and upcoming situation. This is an important lesson which can be learned from the domains of professional and competitive sports. When looking at those realms, we can often find examples of the negative results which occur when players and teams become overly preoccupied with that which has already occurred rather than focusing on that which is upcoming. From a positive perspective, we can also see that those players and teams which are able to more frequently live in the moment and move on to the next and upcoming situation tend to have the greatest success.
The above discussion informs the underlying process by which we can achieve this perspective. Through implementation of the skills, strategies, and tactics within the framework of the Practices of the Healthcare Athlete, we are able to optimally position ourselves to be able to move on to the next and upcoming situation as readily as possible.
When we are able to bring this perspective to life as often and as consistently as possible, we are best positioned to pursue not only health and wellbeing, but also to perform at our highest level as consistently and sustainably as possible. Ultimately, by leveraging our biology within the understanding provided by the framework of moving on to the next and upcoming situation, we are best positioned to pursue health, wellbeing, and sustainable high performance. This is further optimized by applying the concepts discussed in the prior two articles relating to managing big and significant moments and developing the ability to focus on the present moment. Taken together, each of these concepts and abilities are complementary and contribute towards the pursuit of health, wellbeing, and sustainable high performance.
To learn more, including about biologically complementary coaching for healthcare professionals and other 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+.