8/15/2016

1

Continue to Be Your Best,

Despite All That Stress

David Lee

How does what you saw in the video relate to

our topic “Continue to Be Your Best, Despite All That Stress?

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2

You are a Knowledge Worker Athlete and Need

to Treat Yourself Like the Elite Athlete You Are

If you were an Olympic Athlete,

what would you do to…

1. Keep your spirits up, your attitude positive, and to stay focused on your goal, despite your grueling training and setbacks?

2. Make sure you are physically at your best, despite your grueling training?

…and how can you translate these

principles to you and your team as mSL

progresses?

For Question #1, Did You Include?

1. Remind yourself of why you’re doing what you’re doing…why it matters.

2. Ask people you respect for their perspective on how to deal with the challenges you’re facing.

3. Notice and challenge negative self-talk.

4. Practice empowering self-talk.

5. Enlist the help of your trusted advisors to help you stay focused and upbeat.

6. Get serious about having fun.

7. Celebrate your successes.

1. Keep your spirits up, your attitude positive, and stay focused on your goal, despite your grueling training and setbacks?

For Question #2, Did You Include?

1. Adequate sleep

2. Food that fuels performance, not lethargy

3. Staying hydrated

4. Appropriate exercise/fitness regimen

5. Recovery time

2. Make sure you are physically at your best, and don’t get worn down because of your grueling training?

8/15/2016

3

Just Like Elite Athletes, Knowledge Worker

Athletes Need To Engage In Recovery Balancing Challenge and Recovery

The secret sauce of elite performers with staying power

Balancing Challenge and Recovery

“Recovery is king. Exercise is

queen.”

Scott Sonnon, originator of Tactical Gymnastics

Mini-Recovery Moments

• Switch tasks…

• Watch a funny or inspiring video

• Take a brief defocus break every 60 to 90 min.

• Take a brief walk after sitting down for X minutes.

• Have a brief fun conversation

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4

At Home Recovery That Works for You?

Takeaway

Pick the principles and practices of being a Knowledge Worker Athlete you most relate to and implement.

Takeaway

Reactivate the recovery practices that have worked for you and experiment with different recovery practices to add to your repertoire.

You are a Knowledge Worker Athlete and Need

to Treat Yourself Like the Elite Athlete You Are

8/15/2016

5

How to Use Power Ups to Keep Your

Energy High and Boost Resilience Please Finish These Sentences

• I feel most alive and happy when…

• Here are two simple “little things” in life that boost my mood (and are legal )…

• It would make me a happier camper—and maybe even healthier—if I started doing _______ again.

These Are Some of Your Power Ups

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Real World Power Ups Are The Key to

Keeping Our Mood Positive & Being

Stress Resistant (aka Resilient)

How

Power Ups

Boost Mood

and Build

Resilience

They Do It By

Strengthening

Vagal Tone

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7

Power ups, Productivity, and

Resilience

…Which Makes You…

1.Less reactive

2.Less affected by difficult people and difficult circumstances

What Happens When Your

Vagus Nerve Has Low Tone?

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How to

Strengthen

Your Vagal Tone

and

Build

Resilience

The key to strengthening vagal tone is experiencing microbursts of Positive Emotions, NOT…

…orchestrating—or waiting for—some some big uplifting occasion or…trying to reduce your negative emotions.

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…orchestrating—or waiting—for some big uplifting occasion or…trying to reduce your negative emotions.

Presence

Cute Animal Videos Takeaway

Reflect on the Power Ups that work best for you…and do more of them.

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Takeaway

Look for opportunities to find and create microbursts of positive emotions…i.e. Power Ups

Mental Tools for Building Resilience

Instant Perspective

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11

“This tough

time I’m going

through is

a chapter,

not the whole

story.”

What’s Your Achilles Heel?

What’s Your Achilles Heel?

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Instant Perspective

Time

Travel

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What

Situations Get

Under Your

Skin…and

Therefore

Could Benefit

From You

Using Time

Travel Instant

Perspective?

Glass

Half

Full

Compare

&

Contrast

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Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/mtaphotos/

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Where Might You Benefit From

Compare and Contrast? Instant Perspective

The Ultimate Power Up, Relationship

Building, and Morale Boosting Practice

Gratitude

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Feeling and Expressing Gratitude Gratitude Research

1. Fewer physical symptoms.

2. Exercised more.

3. Felt better about their lives.

4. More optimistic.

5. More likely to help someone else.

6. Better sleep duration and quality.

Source: Thanks!: How the New Science of Gratitude Can Make You Happier by Robert A. Emmons, Ph.D.

How to Unleash the Power of

Gratitude

1. Reflect on times you’ve been spared.

2. Acknowledge all your little helpers.

3. Keep a nightly gratitude journal.

4. Be on the lookout for opportunities…

5. Decide now…

What you appreciate appreciates. What you don’t appreciate, depreciates… ...including hard work, initiative and excellence.

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Who will you call… Take Aways

1. Look for opportunities to apply Knowledge Worker As Athlete lessons as mSL unfolds.

2. Experiment with different recovery practices to see what ones work best for you.

Take Aways

3. Remember engaging in recovery is not self-indulgent, it is smart and allows you to perform at your best and not burn out.

4. Reflect on the Power Ups that work best for you…and do more of them.

Take Aways

5. Look for opportunities to find and create microbursts of positive emotions…i.e. Power Ups

6. Notice when you are stressing yourself out and apply Instant Perspective

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Take Aways

7. Look for opportunities to feel gratitude

8. Look for opportunities to express gratitude, and by doing so, uplift others

Building resilience is like physical

fitness, it takes ongoing practice.

When You

Do The

Things We

Discussed

You Feel

Better and

Perform

Better.