What can I offer you today?
By reading this article you will learn about the “Big Four”.
You will learn the 4 steps used by members of the US NavySea, Air, and Land Teams (SEALs) to control fears.
By controlling fear, you will be able to respondappropriately in panicky situations.
Each morning I get up early to write. The early morning has alwaysbeen a special time for me. The house is quiet, and my meditation can be completedwithout interruption. Our dogs, George and Flynn sometimes demand a pat or acuddle. They wander into the office and place their head on my thigh. If Iignore them, they gently whimper or scratch my thigh with a paw for affection.Once satisfied they wander off and curl up while leaving me to my morningrituals. There is a process and routine I enter that assists me to move to thewriting zone.
This morning there is a sadness. A measure of emotion isgently moving in my head. We are on the eve of self-isolation for the next fourweeks. We have adequate supplies and some savings to get us through. There willbe a distance from family and friends as we enter this unknown state. It ishard to define exactly what I am feeling.
On the first day of my leadership courses we introduceourselves to the group. During this time, I attempt to reassure the cohort thateverything will be OK. There is a maxim I use,
“That which is most personal is also most general”
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In the context of the 12-month leadership program theendeavour is to provide an opportunity for the individuals within the cohort toshare their fears. To assist with this, I relate my experience of attendinguniversity as an adult learner as I embarked on my Executive MBA program. Itell the group how on that first day I was sure I was the least educated, themost lacking in experience and probably the one who would struggle the most. Thiswas the early stage of fear. There is another saying I love,
90% of what we worry about never happens
This morning I am telling myself that if I feel like ‘I amstepping into the unknown with the experience of self-Isolation’ then the samemust be true for others. Those personal feelings of concern of the unknown arenot just my own feelings. They must be shared by others.
How to keep calm
I will discuss the four steps used by Navy SEALs to conquerfear and hopefully leave you better informed. I f do a good job hopefully youwill feel a little comforted.
There is a part of me that is a little scared, a bit worriedand a little emotional. If you are experiencing some of these thoughts andfeelings you are not alone. That which is most personal is also most general.
Understanding our brain.
The frontal lobes of the brain are responsible for consciousand rational decision-making processes. The amygdala which is well hidden inthe depths of the brain, is twice as fast in response than the frontal lobes. Therefore,in the fear mechanism responses can be misleading. The purpose of the amygdalais to protect, no matter what. We have some pre-programmed fears we are bornwith. Fear of choking, fear of drowning, fear of heights and public speaking.
Whenever we interpret what is around or near us as peril theamygdala kicks in an assumes control. In the assumption of control stresshormones are released, such as cortisol and adrenaline. This is the mechanismto prepare the body for a fight or flight response. All the energy in the bodyis directed to the feet for running or that hands for fighting against what isthe actual or perceived imminent danger.
Navy SEALs have danger as part of their job description.They train for life threatening situations. To succeed and survive they need toconquer their fears. Navy SEALs need to match the response of the frontal lobesor thinking part of the brain with the rapid response of the amygdala. We canuse these four steps as we deal with COVID-19
The Four Steps.
- Goal Setting
When in a stressful situationNavy SEALs overcome the stress of chaos by focusing on a goal? They think abouttheir friends, family religious beliefs and important aspects of their lives.This serves as an anchor to maintain an inner balance.
We can do the same by focusing onthe same things as Navy SEALs.
- Mental Rehearsal
This is also known as visualisation.We rehearse the situation in our mind by continually running the activity withour desired response.
It is ok to feel scared. In the leadershipprogram we discuss the mechanism of ‘Change’. We discuss how, during a changeprocess in the workplace staff can move towards fear of the unknown. Thesuggested method to counter this to brainstorm the emotions being experienced. Perhapswe can do this with our families. Let’s go into the dark corners and shine alight on the fears. Once we have the fears in the open, we can move to determineour options. The first step, in voicing concerns, worries and fears validatesthe emotional experience. As a team or family is validated the discussion ofoptions can be presented.
For example, in our transition toself-isolation. What may be a fear, concern or worry? Will we have enoughmoney? Will we be able to pay the mortgage or the rent? We begin by avoidingthe suppression of fears and emotion but speak the words and give air to thethoughts. We release some tension. We then look at options. We can then investigateearly what we can arrange with the bank. Review how much money we have insavings. Find out what support packages are available. Who could we ask forhelp? Determine what scenarios we may face and rehearse our response based on what we know at the moment. We now have aplan. We may lack answers, but we have the best plan for the moment.
- Self-Talk.
Monitor your self-talk and be onthe look out for Waldorf and Staler. They are the two old guys from the muppetswho sat up in the balcony. They would constantly criticise Kermit the frog.They were the naysayers. Monitor your self-talk. If it is moving toward negativity,make positive statements out loud. Even if you don’t initially believe the positivestatements. The words stated with confidence and while standing and looking up,stimulate a positive response that moves the brain to positivity. If the self-talkis expressing, “I won’t have a business at the end of this. And I will lose everything”.To be honest you do not know that to be true. Your self-talk is backed by theevidence of a definite loss of revenue, but you do not know the future. If youstand up. Look up and state with confidence, “It will be tough but we will getthrough this” you physiologically will move the body to a different state. Formore information on the research NLP or Neuro linguistic Programming.
- Arousal Control
As you are presented with certainfacts or situations the amygdala may begin to be aroused. Your heart rate may increase.Your breathing may become shallow. These are the first steps in the amygdala orfear response. To counter this focus on slow focussed breathing. Long rhythmic breathinginduces relaxation in the body. Focus on the breath.
How are you feeling?
You are not alone in the emotional challenge presented bythe COVID- 19 crisis. You will experience a plethora of emotions that willrise. These are natural. We will all have different worries. We can make itthrough. Kiwis are a creative resilient people. We have not seen the creativityyet. I am confident it will come.
This writing has helped me deal with some emotion thismorning and helped me revisit techniques for managing the fear response. Feelfree to email me or contact me if you would like to chat, link up on Zoom orSkype. Stay safe.
andrew@ andrewhiggins.co.nz