Recovery is an essential component in the pursuit of health, wellbeing, and sustainable high performance. This requires post event recovery strategies as well as in task restoration.
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The importance of recovery in the promotion of health, wellbeing, and sustainable high performance cannot be overstated. The principles and pathways underlying restoration, recovery, and return to homeostasis have been discussed in past articles. In order to fully recover, an intentional and deliberate routine should be developed and regularly employed. In addition, the strategies underlying modifications in the recovery routine for implementation when situations do not permit application of the full routine have been described.
For individuals within high demand professions, the importance of recovery is paramount. These pursuits require consumption of large amounts of resources across all biological systems, such as physiological, emotional, and psychological processes. In order to continue to perform towards our fullest potential, it is necessary to replenish these resources, both between events as well as during tasks. During times in which full and complete recovery is not possible, it is necessary to be able to modify the recovery routine in order to obtain as much restoration as possible. Without developing these skills, the resources needed to perform at the limits of our potential in a sustainable fashion will not be available and, consequently, we will not be able to maintain our highest level of performance or promote health and wellbeing.
Elements which are typically included within the recovery paradigm include sleep, mindset, nutrition and hydration, and physical activity. As described in past articles, the common pathway amongst these factors which promote recovery and homeostasis is ventral vagal activation. This understanding is important when applying the principles of recovery under circumstances in which the full routine cannot be employed. In such a scenario, intentionally employing skills and strategies which increase ventral vagal tone can provide measures of recovery until the full routine can be employed.
As discussed above, common across all high demand professions is the need to recover and restore. This is necessary due to the resource consumption which inevitably occurs during high demand performance. This applies equally to more physically oriented tasks as it does to more cognitively based activities. While the importance of full recovery between situations has been discussed previously and is well recognized across high performance domains, two other scenarios are equally necessary. The first has been described in a previous article and relates to modifying and optimizing recovery when the full routine is not feasible due to external constraints. The second scenario relates to restoration of resources during performance of high demand activities. This will be the focus of this article.
Across all high demand professions, a rubric can be applied that relates to recovery. Following activities and when feasible, the full recovery routine should be employed. Alternatively, following completion of tasks and when it is not possible to utilize the full regimen due to various constraints, a modified routine can be utilized. The final scenario relates to developing strategies to replenish resources while still performing high demand tasks and activities. This latter situation particularly applies to those tasks which are prolonged in duration.
With this paradigm in mind, further exploration of the importance of in task restoration and replenishment can be illustrated. In order to continue to perform to the limits of potential, especially during high demand prolonged activities, it is essential that we be able to obtain a degree of recovery while still performing required tasks. The first step in this process is an honest assessment of our current biological state and situation. Michael Allison terms this process meeting the body where it is. Essentially this refers to an identification of the current biological state. In the context of in task restoration of resources, this may also include a determination of our current state of energy and metabolic resource expenditure and reserves. It is important that this step be performed in an honest fashion and without criticism or judgment. If this is not done in an honest way, then we can unintentionally mislead ourselves. If we allow this process to be associated with judgment or criticism, we can inadvertently create cues of uncertainty, risk, and threat thereby shifting our biological state towards sympathetic and dorsal vagal states.
Following recognition of our current biological state and determination of available resources, we can then implement skills and strategies to appropriately shift our state and replenish resources. Most often this will be in the form of implementing skills and strategies to increase ventral vagal tone. As described in past articles, this involves selection of context appropriate and specific skills and strategies from the polyvagal informed toolbox. Ideally, the paradigm is to select those tools which can be performed within the available constraints of the situation which will provide the necessary shift in biological state and restoration of resources. Typically, this will require those skills which lead to increased ventral vagal activation.
Dependent upon the nature and duration of the high demand activity, this process may be repeated multiple times. It is also important to emphasize that following completion of the task, a more complete recovery routine is necessary in order to return to homeostasis and more thoroughly restore resources.
This paradigm of the three phases of recovery can be readily extrapolated across high demand professions and activities. Taking the example of a healthcare professional can illustrate this point. Following a busy work week, during an off weekend, the full recovery routine can be employed. The modified recovery regimen may be employed during a weekend of call during times in which there are no ongoing or pending clinical activities to perform. The third phase, in task restoration and replenishment, can be integrated during extended duration surgical procedures or during fully booked extended clinics. These examples apply similarly across all high demand performance domains.
As can be recognized from this discussion, it is necessary for all professionals within high demand domains to recover not only following high consequence tasks but during them as well. The three phases of recovery outlined in this article are all based upon the common pathway of recovery, namely increased ventral vagal activation. As such, these strategies represent skills which can be developed over time in association with the polyvagal informed toolbox. In order to fully pursue health, wellbeing, and sustainable high performance, it is important to develop skills and strategies within each of these phases of recovery.
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REFERENCE
Allison, M. The Play Zone: A Neurophysiological Approach to our Highest Performance. https://theplayzone.com.
