Slow down, don't speed up
Building on our skill of observation for improved emotional intelligence
QUOTE
On the importance of resisting automation
"To be mindful is the opposite of automation. To resist our natural tendency for knee-jerk, emotional reactions.
– Fred Hanna (Article on Wisdom vs. Knowledge)
OBSERVATION
We need to slow down
Last week, I introduced the importance of observation and valuing. Without observation we have no chance of increasing our awareness enough to make meaningful progress. Building on this notion, it is essential to slow down. Too often we accept the status quo with little-to-no thought behind our reactions both socially and internally during competition. Quite literally, reacting on autopilot. This is at the core of what erodes our ability to be more emotionally intelligent. Therefore, teaching ourselves to “slow down” and not “speed up” is how we help build on our skill of observation.
ACTIONABLE IDEA
You don’t have to react to every single emotion
Self Strategy: Slow down, don’t speed up. From an emotional regulation perspective, we fundamentally have lost perspective on the role of emotions which is why it is so hard to navigate them.
Emotions are a hard-wired notification system designed to protect us from harm (obviously there are other types of emotions, but for the context we typically care about in competition I’m focusing on this point). Which means, by nature our emotions are supposed to put us on high alert, nothing more. So by definition, emotions should help us pause. However, emotions end up distracting us instead of helping us focus. Therefore, even teaching the simple message of slow down can be a great tactic.
Teaching meditations is a formal, experiential way to teach clients how to engage and disengage with thoughts more easily. Focusing meditations and thought watching meditations in particular have been a great tool.
Providing a clear definition and role as it relates to how our emotions work, can empower athletes to better navigate them. Reinforce the importance of slowing down and take a moment before reacting can make all the different in compounding mistakes during competition or quickly adjusting and moving on.
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