Lessons from the frontline

On a Thursday at 2pm I was standing in an abandoned warehouse at a remote training facility. Deaf ears anger Music echoed through the hidden speakers. The shooting exploded at close range. The fatigued big man stood with his legs spread out, his arm hurting, screaming at the “prisoner,” handcuffed with a hooded, arm-stopping wall.

I was a psychologist stress Simulation training is designed to prepare people for deployment in dangerous areas where the temptation was not an issue.

My role was to teach participants how to respond to real threats. What shocked me was how much presentations and discussions with participants were drawn to me from working with clinically unsettling clients. Whether a threat is realistic or imagined, many of the strategies to manage it are the same. This opened my eyes to how useful the stress is when channeled effectively. It also reminded me that unchecked stress is incompetent regardless of threat level.

This post derives lessons from threat training and applies to more familiar and everyday stressors, such as quitting smoking, facing a colleague, or returning to the back of the wheel after a car accident.

Understanding our stress response: Stress defense

Stress has a purpose. Whether the threat is physical or psychological, our bodies prepare us to deal with the danger. The presence of stress means that it can be at risk. If it’s not important, you don’t mind, and there’s no stress. Whether it’s your literal life on the line or whether important values ​​are threatened, the body takes action to deal with the challenge.

It’s either too little stress or too much, and performance is suffering. But with the right amount, stress warns us, prepares us, reminds us that something is worth protecting. If you ignore it, you will lose important information that can help you survive or simply live well.

Imagine there are important upcoming exams. If the stress goes down to zero, you may not even study or show up. A moderate amount of stress shows its importance and gives you energy so that you can concentrate. However, if you are too stressed, you can become paralyzed. Your mind may be blank, and you may be completely closed.

My colleague Bill (Bilbo) Riley, a drug detective and former military officer, Riley, shared similar sentiments. He will tell participants, “It stays yellow. That’s the sweet spot.” You don’t want to turn green threat levels green. But you also don’t want to be red and constantly charming and overwhelmed. Aim for yellow: ready to alert, presence, and thoughtful action.

Physiological Awakening: The Mechanism of the Defense of Our Body

Our bodies are not very big at distinguishing between types of threat. It is also not calibrated for the modern world. Over the last 10,000 years, we have rapidly surpassed biology. It is the elimination of predators, invention of tools, mastering fires, and building complex society. But our bodies still respond as if we were hunted.

I often told participants in stress simulation training: that’s right That it was evolutionarily designed – be prepared for action. “Whether you run, hide, or fight, my uneasy clients often don’t have a very sensitive alert system fear It feels just as intense.

Whether your life is at risk or you are late for a meeting, the basic advice is the same: calm your body.

Emotions: How to calm your body

Relaxation technology can activate the parasympathetic nervous system Nervous systemafter a stress response, bring the body back to baseline. Diaphragmatic breathing, Mindfulness Meditationprogressive muscle relaxation, and guided images are just a few examples. Exercise, sleep, hydration, proper exercise nutritionIt also helps to calm the body.

Taking a deep breath in moments of panic can make a difference. Soothes the body and calm the mind.

Thoughts: How to center your mind

when anxiety It overflows in the brain, and it becomes obviously difficult to think about it. Stress distorts reality and leads to even greater pain. We jump to the worst case scenario and struggle to see things other than obstacles. That’s why calming your body first can be very helpful. To retard your brain’s anxiety, you will have access to your mind.

To further combat the disorientation caused by stress, approach a scientist-like situation: gather facts and observe them environmentand consider your options. Talk yourself through it as if you are counselling and encouraging a good friend. This will help you gain emotional distance, a more grounded and clearer perspective.

Our minds need to be central to take the next step: thoughtful action.

Action: How to act with intention

Once you’ve calmed down and your thoughts are centered on, you’re ready to take action. It will guide your actions to your personal values, allowing you to advance your clarity and purpose. This often involves taking the data at hand into consideration and breaking down the task into smaller, manageable steps to take the next reasonable step. It’s all we can do: take thoughtful action in the present moment.

Our emotions, thoughts and behaviors are all influenced by one another, and we need to work together to respond well to stress, regardless of the level of threat.

Final lesson from the field

My colleague, Bill, had a lot of great advice that applies to high-risk environments as well as everyday stressors.

1. “Your body can’t go where your mind wasn’t.”
   You have to imagine yourself taking action. If you can’t imagine it, you probably wouldn’t do it.
   For my clients, this can lead to belief in change. Photo of quitting smoking. A photo of yourself standing up for yourself. Driving the picture again. Rehearse it in your mind so that it unfolds in real life.
2. “Don’t let your past command your future. Leave it in the rearview mirror and focus on what’s right in front of you.”
   Defensive driving and advice for life. It’s very easy to shake up by past mistakes and regrets, but looking back is harmful. I miss the dangers and opportunities, what’s going on right in front of me.
3. “If you decide to fight, be prepared to fight to death.”
   Participants knew that this could be a valid choice if it was consistent with the assessment of the situation. But once committed, it had to go into everything. It was their lives or others.

   This sounds shocking and extreme. But imagine how life will change with each and every commitment. You’ll do that Stop smokingstand up for yourself and return to the car after a car accident. That urgency can drive you forward in the face of stress.

Put it all together

You don’t need to be in a threatening situation for your survival instinct to begin. By calming your emotions, taking intentional actions based on your thoughts, you can respond in a way that reflects your deeper values, not your fears.