Know Your Numbers

Created in 1908, psychologists named Robert Yerkes and John Dodson used an inverted U-shaped curve to explain the relationship between our magnitudes of arousal and stress with our levels of execution and performance.

From academics to sports, creative pursuits to everyday work… we perform our best when there’s a harmony between stress and rest, activation and relaxation, focus and openness.

When our arousal is too low, we are comfortably bored. When our arousal is too high, we are in a state of distress: pulled apart due to the anxiety that stems from complexity. We must care, but not too much. Caring less without becoming careless. 

Mindfulness

One of the best ways to train our minds, alongside journaling and engaging in deep discussions with wise individuals, is mindfulness: becoming aware of the present moment without judgment. An individual who is mindful remains open — vision is wide like a floodlight rather than narrow like a flashlight and perspective is curious instead of critical. Mindfulness could be practiced through quiet reflection and meditation or movement without a set destination: swimming laps, walking trails, wandering. 

The opposite of mindfulness, disconnection and distraction, depletes our inner resources. Vision narrows. Conscious creation gives way to unconscious consumption. Impulsive reactions push aside responsibility. Nihilistic ideation increases… 

STOP

Stop, Take a breath, Observe, Proceed. This simple acronym is a practice for taking the reins on our own attention. There is no more powerful word in the English language than a rightly… timed.. pause; there is no more powerful technique in human physiology than an intentional, deliberate STOP. Invaluable gift, costs nothing, to pay attention.

I am the master of my fate, captain of my soul.

– Invictus, by William Ernest Henley

Another technique to consider, RAIN, comes from Tara Brach’s book titled, Radical Compassion. Recognize, Allow, Investigate, Nurture. Especially with difficult and negative emotions, noticing and letting feelings pass is a marker for true emotional fitness. Rather than attempt to change or to control, observation without exertion is enough. To complete the RAIN practice, Brach encourages individuals to nurture with self-compassion; in other words, to utilize uplifting self-talk and self-thought to shift our minds toward an internal signal worth listening to. 

The soft skill of mindfulness is among the hardest to master

It’s easy to think of it as voodoo nonsense. It’s commonplace for many to view it as “not for me.” It’s an ability we are all born with yet only a few choose to take advantage of. Nevertheless, those we admire most due to his or her self-control, patience, and insight… embody mindfulness.

Dr. Amishi Jha, who coined the STOP method above, brilliantly stated, “Focus is a decision. Refocus is a skill.” We get to choose what we focus on. Concentration, also known as refocusing, requires discipline, intentionality, and a commitment to competence. Jha emphasized, “The three things that draw our attention away [and distract us] are negative mood, stress overload, and threatening information.” The more mindful we become, the more positivity, calmness and understanding we will experience.

Why do we attempt to control the uncontrollable?

Because of fear, uncertainty, or both?

When was the last time we, as The Beatles sang over 50 years ago, Let It Be?

We can be mindful even when our mind is full.