1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 BEING AT “OUR BEST”
It is evident that being “at our best” is not merely a function of the skills, knowledge and experience that we have to be excellent at what we do. While these certainly are necessary, they don’t in themselves lead to us being at our best moment by moment. Being at our best is a function of our being able to bring the appropriate parts of the above to bear at the appropriate moment. When such moments are stressful, we may “forget” what part of what we know best serves the moment and instead demonstrate actions that come from “old reactive patterns”. Such patterns may, in turn, have egoic roots which lead to more or less sympathetic nervous system (“SNS”) activation and concomitant allostatic load (Baethge, Vahle-Hinz, & Rigotti, 2020; Porges, Doussard‐Roosevelt, & Maiti, 1994). At such times, we are likely to “forget” our resources and act on “autopilot”, which is fine if the autopilot takes us where we actually want to go, but for many of us this leads to sub
optimal reactions.
In order to be at our best in such situations, particularly when we may not yet be “unconsciously skilled” with the subject matter, we need to find ways to bring and keep our resources online in progressively more situations. This could be said to be a function of “4 mental balances” as
described in this paper, namely: Motivational (being clear about who we are and what we care most about (context by context), Cognitive (seeing things as they are rather than as the mind may project in the moment – knowing ones own patterns of “distraction”, including the stories we tell yourselves that we hold to be absolutely true), Attentional (being able to redirect attention towards what we care about rather than what we “don’t want”) and Emotional (being able to use emotional information for our and other’s benefit rather than simply being “swept along” by emotion – quoting Ekman (2004), recognising the “spark before the flame”).
Cultivating the 4 balances is not only about “formal” mindfulness practice. It can be inferred that the processes of “experience dependent neuroplasticity” can help us to learn how to be mentally effective through intentional practices of remembering and bringing our “best selves” to everyday situations. Once the supporting neural structures are strengthened through practice, then these can support our ability to be fully present, resourceful, and capable in the higher pressure / risk
situations which may arise in everyday contexts.
1.2 PURPOSE OF THIS PAPER
All of the “4 balances” are important and are really about our ability to “manage” our attention, keeping it directed towards our various resources. These resources can include our goals, motivations, aspirations, skills, psychological resources, things we can remember in the moment that help us be at our best, relationships and people and other more systemic / environmental resources. We all, in theory, have far more “resources” available to us than we use in the “moment
of-choice”. Not because we are unable to, but because we fail to bring them back to mind when needed.
In this paper, we have set out some tips for training the management of attention in everyday life and workplace situations. These practice tips help us better ensure our attention remains “on target” when things get more difficult. These practices can be regarded as supplementary to the
“formal” practice (mindfulness practice), or, if done with intention, as practices in themselves in service of your success and well-being!
2. MINDFULNESS WITHOUT MEDITATION - INFORMAL PRACTICES FOR SEEING THINGS AS THEY ARE
It can be inferred that the 4 balances, in essence, is a function of “mindfulness”.
2.1 OPERATIONAL DEFINITION OF MINDFULNESS
Competence with the “4 Balances” is a function of mindfulness. It is mindfulness that allows us to keep our attention focussed on what we really care about (our aspirations, goals and values) together with the resources we have that may serve these. At the same time, attention is
rebalanced from focus on problems and anxieties towards what we can actually do that serves goals and aspirations. If nothing can be usefully done, these practices help us to accept this reality and to
move on with things that can be done (maybe related to different goals and aspirations), thereby managing mental and behavioural resources optimally.
For the purpose of this paper, we define Mindfulness as :
1. Immediate awareness: Awareness of what is happening in the mind (thoughts) and body (emotions), in a moment, without immediate resistance or reaction,
2. Peripheral awareness (or “self-remembering”): In the next moment, bringing back to mind “what is skilful or “useful” (ones goals, values, aspirations, skills, commitments, knowledge /
experience and other internal / external resources, etc)
3. Self-redirection: The ability to redirect attention as appropriate, and taking appropriate, called for, action.
Apart from the formal practices of mindfulness meditation, or if the formal practice doesn’t “agree with you”, you might try some of the following informal practices. Any time we, as an intentional
practice, direct our attention on purpose, to a present moment (normally sensory) experience, without automatic, unnoticed, reaction or judgment of that experience (which, by definition, requires dipping into and drawing from the memory of past experience), we are, de-facto, practicing mindfulness. It can be inferred that we are thereby strengthening the very same neural circuitry that supports your ability to both focus on what you choose and have it be the “right thing” for you.
3. SOME TYPES OF PRACTICE
We identify 4 main types of practice :
• Self-Reflection Practices : This practice involves recalling, after the event, behaviours, thoughts and feelings that occurred over a past period (e.g. the past hour, day or week), particularly where these were either constructive or unconstructive in relation to the context. These practices create insight through reflection on what happened, contemplating consequences and trajectories, triggers and learning. Sometimes, these practices can involve bringing back an experience from the past and allowing it to be relived while we observe our reactions in the moment. It can be useful to write down the key elements of such reflections in the form of a journal.
Some examples of such journals are provided on the LMS.
• Self-Observation Practices : these generally require more self-awareness than reflective practices. The idea with these practices is to notice, in the moment, that we have been triggered into either a negative, or, indeed, a positive thought, emotion or behaviour. Once
we are aware of being “in it” we can then observe our reactions and ask some simple questions about what is happening, what we are thinking, feeling and doing. If the experience is negative and taking us away from what we really want, then we can choose to come “back to our senses” and re-orient our mind and then our behaviour back to what is
called for relative to the goal. If we catch ourselves doing, thinking or feeling something which is on track with our goal, particularly where we have replaced an unskillful thought or action with a skillful one, we go through a similar in the moment reflection. We also allow the positive feelings and experience to “sink in”. This builds self-efficacy and overcomes our negativity bias.
• Self-Remembering Practices: These practices both strengthen our ability to place our attention at will on what is skillful and also cultivate the mind so that we are more likely to remember out authentic goals in key moments of choice.
• Self-activation Practices: The “rubber meets the road” when skillful, observable behaviours occur that effectively respond (rather than react) to the challenges of the moment. As mentioned above, these behaviours are informed by our skills, knowledge and experience
and also by our aspirations, goals and values in the moment.
This paper deals primarily with “informal” self-observation and self-activation practices.
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