Thriving in the Whitewater of the Modern Workplace: 6 Expert Techniques to Operate in Chaos
Thriving in the Whitewater of the Modern Workplace: 6 Expert Techniques to Operate in Chaos
The Mid-Week Energy Boost #3 - Read Time: 7 Minutes
Life can be hard - busy home lives, rough meetings with clients, disagreements with bosses and never-ending to-do lists can leave us feeling fatigued, overwhelmed, and overloaded.
In the ‘white-water maelstrom’ of modern-day life, as Sam McGuinness so eloquently describes it, it is imperative that we have a bank of strategies to recognise, manage and negate the impact of these stressors.
For those practitioners who operate in the underfunded and overburdened educational, health and emergency sectors this is even more vital if personal longevity and system sustainability are to be achieved.
This article will explore the 6 most effective strategies I have uncovered in my years of researching this subject and will include techniques for the most common times of stress:
- Intra Performance Errors
- Transitioning
- Post-Conflict Analytical Tools
- General Calming Technique
- Dealing with Total Overwhelm
Intra Performance Errors
These are the errors that happen mid-performance when we have little time to reset and think before performing again - the rugby player who knocks the ball on, the dancer who misses his step, the nurse who doesn’t insert the needle properly or the teacher who, in petulance, uses sarcasm with a pupil.
These errors, if not addressed, can lead to a spiralling effect, where performance dips and errors compound. An effective antidote to this downward trajectory is The Snap and Smile Method.
Snap and Smile
This technique, acquired from an ex-international rugby player, is used to immediately recognise a mistake, accept it, and move back fully into the present.
In the rare instances that he would make a mistake on the park or in real life he would snap an elastic band on his wrist as a physical recognition of the mistake before putting a smile on his face.
The smile would signify a learning experience that would make him a better practitioner in the long term and that it was time to get back to work.
By recognising the mistake, accepting the error as a part of the process, and by engraining this process over many years, the player became resilient in times of high pressure and could re-access ‘The Zone’ easily after an error.
As simple as this technique sounds, I have personally seen its astonishing effects on the lives of sports players, performers and professionals who have added this to their repertoire of strategies.
Transitioning
Most roles involve stages of transition. With the ring of the bell, the teacher transitions from teaching one class to another, while the principal transitions from a meeting with an irate parent to a meeting with an underperforming staff member and the nurse transitions from helping a grandmother in her final minutes to providing lifesaving treatment to an emergency patient.
As humans, we can unknowingly carry the emotions from one situation into another with less than positive consequences. For those who regularly make transitions from task to task, I recommend embedding the ‘Release Tension, Set Intention’ technique into your routine.
Release Tension, Set Intention
This simple technique, promoted by Brendon Burchard, should be used at each major transition within your day.
It involves, firstly, sitting with your eyes closed for a minute, before beginning to release all the tension in your shoulders, in your neck, in your face and in your jaw. Once you start to feel the tension dissipate you begin to set your intention.
When setting your intention begin to think about what the next activity entails, what success looks like and what energy you want to bring to the situation.
This process should allow you to leave the previous task behind and to enter the next task with clarity of mission, ultimate focus, and intentionality.
As this process is embedded in personal practice, the time to achieve intentionality, clarity and focus in transition zones decreases considerably and personal productivity increases exponentially.
Post-Conflict Analytical Tools
In the aftermath of a tough conversation, an argument, or an incident, it is common that many people over-estimate its importance and severity. The ‘Will This Matter In… Technique’ and ‘The Helicopter Perspective’ allow us to gain a different, more realistic vantage point on the situation.
Will This Matter In… Technique
I first witnessed this simple technique deployed by a mentor, friend and colleague which immediately deescalated a conflict between three heavily invested parties with strong viewpoints.
The simple questions he asked to all parties were:
Will this matter in 5 minutes? - Some parties felt they would still be thinking about the situation.
Will this matter in 5 hours? - Most agreed that it probably would not
Will this matter in 5 days? - All agreed it definitely would not
Will this matter in 5 weeks?
Will this matter in 5 months?
Will this matter in 5 years?
By recognising that ‘more or less everything is absolutely fine’, as Derren Brown pens it, most ‘big’ conflicts are deescalated and resolved immediately.
If the answer to the questions reveals that this situation may have implications in 5 months or 5 years, this is an area that must be addressed proactively to create, at best, a win/ win situation for all parties or, at worst, a fairly negotiated resolution.
The Helicopter Perspective
In his book, ‘The Chimp Paradox’, Dr. Steve Peters suggests we use this technique to gain a wider perspective on an issue in order to make better informed decisions.
The technique involves closing your eyes, imagining your whole life on a timeline before floating above the current event in a helicopter and putting the situation in perspective.
How important is this event really? Is this going to last forever? If someone told you they had this issue, would you be surprised at their concern? Will this drastically impact upon your life?
This simple technique allows people to fairly assess the gravity of a situation before deciding on a course of action. The overwhelming response to this technique is people realising they had ‘catastrophised’ due to being tired, under pressure, stressed or some combination of all three and they quickly move on.
General Calming Technique
When I am feeling slightly tired, stressed, burnt out or struggling to sleep, I always turn to this technique, which I learnt from the great Galwegian, Pat Divilly.
During a busy workday, spending 60 seconds to 3 minutes performing this technique can relax, renew, and reinvigorate.
When performed pre bed I am out like a light, with higher-than-average deep sleep.
Box Breathing
Box Breathing is as unrevolutionary as techniques come.
Breathe in for 4 seconds
Hold breath for 4 seconds
Breathe out for 4 seconds
Hold breath out for 4 seconds
Repeat
This breathing instantly activates the parasympathetic nervous system, decreasing the heart rate and promoting a feeling of calm and relaxation in the body.
Give it a try!
Dealing with Total Overwhelm
If we are lucky, dealing with total personal overwhelm or supporting others through overwhelm, should be an infrequent occurrence.
For those instances where we, or someone else, is in a state of emotional overwhelm I suggest using The Physiological Sigh.
The Physiological Sigh
This technique, espoused by Dr. Andrew Huberman, involves taking a double inhale (a full inhale, followed by sneaking another inhale) through the nose before an exaggerated, extended exhale.
This type of breathing offloads the maximum amount of carbon dioxide, and research shows that 1 - 3 of these Physiological Sighs can bring stress levels down extremely rapidly.
This technique can be used consciously in any situation, outside of water.
Dr. Andrew Huberman goes further into the biological of The Physiological Sigh in the embedded video at the bottom of the article.
Conclusion
Becoming the best version of ourselves comes at a cost - occasional stress, pressure and overwhelm - and we must develop an arsenal of strategies to cope with these stressors.
Above is my tool kit and I hope that some of these tools may help you to become a more resilient version of yourself and to embrace all that a fulfilled, purposeful, and meaningful life entails.