Understanding the performance paradigm of providing support and then challenging skill capacity is important so that we can apply the concept across 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 the domain of high performance psychology and within competitive environments, there is the understanding that it is necessary to provide support prior to challenging the abilities and skill capacities of ourselves and others. Once there is sufficient support in place, it becomes possible to then push the capacity and potential of ourselves and others by challenging the current level of ability.
When we optimize this relationship between providing support and challenge, we are able to optimize the ability to pursue potential by developing skills, increasing capacity, and pushing the limits of ability. This primarily is considered within the domain of physical skill development, although it applies equally across all the mind-based and body-based skills within the paradigm of the Practices of the Healthcare Athlete.
While the applicability of this principle is widely understood within competitive environments, the underlying mechanism and process by which this occurs is not often discussed. When we consider the relationship between providing support and challenging skills within the paradigm provided by the Practices of the Healthcare Athlete, we can better understand why this concept is applicable. With this recognition in place, we are then better positioned to apply the concept across other domains.
When we are considering situations in which we are developing skills, it is inevitable that we are pushing the limits of our current capacity. Without doing so we would never be able to develop and enhance our abilities in any domain. When we are pursuing skill development, the inherent nature of the process involves pushing beyond the limits of our current level of comfort. This is frequently associated with cues of uncertainty and possibly risk and threat across the internal, external, and relational pathways. In particular, this is related to uncertainty with respect to the outcome and our likelihood of being successful in acquiring and performing new skills.
Dependent upon our relationship with internal and external sources of motivation and reward, this situation can provide significant cues towards biological shifts into activated, attacking, anxious, overwhelmed, and shutdown states. As has been discussed throughout this article series, such shifts in biological state are not conducive to our optimal performance. This can lead to further deepening of these states on account of the related cues and obstacles we encounter when we do not perform to our level of expectation.
When we provide support prior to challenging the capacity and skills of ourselves and others, in essence we are providing cues towards anchored and grounded states along, in particular, the relational pathway. As has been discussed throughout this article series, through the process of social engagement and interactions between individuals we can provide powerful cues towards anchored and grounded states to ourselves and those around us. This is, in essence, what occurs when we provide support prior to challenging skills.
Following the above understanding, it becomes evident that by providing cues towards anchored and grounded states prior to challenging the skill capacity of ourselves and others we are maintaining anchored and grounded states when we subsequently push the limits of potential. As discussed above, without this level of support pushing these capacities typically results in cues away from anchored and grounded states. In order to maintain an optimal performance state, it is important to ensure an anchored and grounded state prior to such situations. The resulting biological state shifts would then occur from a starting point of anchored and grounded states thereby increasing the likelihood of a shift into a mobilized state which is optimal for performance.
When we consider the previously described paradigm of the axis between stress and biological state, this perspective of providing support prior to challenge would place the scenario within the upper right quadrant of increased stress in a situation of preferred biological state. This optimizes our ability to perform skills to the best of our ability and also to reduce cues towards activated, attacking, anxious, overwhelmed, and shutdown states. This scenario is optimal for growth, development, and pushing the limits of our potential in the pursuit of sustainable high performance.
While it has often been described that we apply the perspective of providing support and then challenge in the context of developing sports skills, the same paradigm is equally applicable across all domains of life. When we are developing the mind-based and body-based skills within the Practices of the Healthcare Athlete or assisting others to do the same, the same paradigm is equally important. In particular, we can utilize this understanding along the internal pathway when we encounter higher demand activities within activated, attacking, anxious, overwhelmed, or shutdown states. In such a situation we can consider whether or not to participate in such activities. While it is recognized that we do not always have the choice whether or not we will participate in such tasks and situations, there are times in which we do make this decision. Irrespective of whether or not we are able to make this choice, we are always better positioned to experience such situations from a place of anchored and grounded states. Across the internal pathway, as has been discussed in prior articles, we are able to increase cues towards anchored and grounded states through the implementation of appropriate mind-based and body-based skills. This is particularly useful when we anticipate that we will be pushing our comfort or limits of our capacity. Given the inherent nature of these situations, doing so increases the likelihood that we will ultimately shift towards mobilized states which are optimal for performance.
The above discussion emphasis the concept that we want to enter into challenging situations from an anchored and grounded state to the greatest extent possible. This allows us to maintain the preferred attributes and traits associated with these states as well as within the mobilized performance states dependent upon the specifics of the situation. By utilizing the appropriate mind-based and body-based skills, strategies, and tactics we are best positioned to do this. In addition, if we encounter situations in which we are coaching or assisting others to do similar types of activities it is equally beneficial and important to utilize a similar strategy.
The above understanding of the application of the performance paradigm of providing support and then challenge is beneficial. This helps to deepen our understanding of the underlying concepts and principles. More importantly, an actionable framework as has been discussed above can be readily developed and implemented so that we can utilize the understanding in order to further our ability to push the limits of our potential across any domain in life. This is accomplished by implementing strategies and tactics to position ourselves and those around us within the upper right quadrant of the stress state quadrants. This optimizes our capacity to leverage our biology in the pursuit of health, wellbeing, and sustainable high performance.
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+.