It is hard to believe that April is next week, finally. The speed of blur is the only way to summarize the past several weeks. We are feeling the effects of such a long period without breaks. Staff, students, and parents are each experiencing stress. The degree to which individuals cope, manage, respond or react to stress varies mostly by capacity.
Capacity is an interesting construct given that we would think that once capacity is built it remains forever. Well, we need only to consider literally the physical capacity of a twenty-two year old versus a fifty something. I actually have some experience with this – This past week I was speaking to one of my sons about being in “shape” – specifically cardiovascular. As I explained you simply cannot go out and run your best time in the 1600 meters (four times around the track) without running. You have to practice. You have to build muscular as well as “lung” capacity by actually running. You have to push yourself. You have to choose to run even when you don’t want to –.
It seemed to make sense. Did he go out and run? No, but he thought about it.
Speaking of thinking.
Mr. McLeod and I were discussing thinking and the barriers in the way of using ones’ mind well. We know from neuroscience that stress, chronic stress disrupts thinking. It can even have a cumulative negative impact on the habits of thinking that significantly inhibit, interfere, and prevent good, sound, rational, logical decision making.
As we were talking I recalled an opportunity in college to hear Jim Ryun, the runner who broke the world record for the mile at age 19 speak. He is a three-time U.S. Olympian in the 1,500-meters and held the world record in five events. He was the first high school age athlete to break four minutes in the mile run. He won three state mile run titles – the last a national record that still stands.
What was memorable from Ryun’s talk was his reference to Roger Bannister the former English athlete best known for running the first recorded mile in less than 4 minutes in 1954.
Ryun asked, “Why did it take so long to break the four-minute mile?” It simply was not thought possible.
“How long did it take after Bannister’s history making record for others to run a sub four-minute mile? Not long.
Once the sub four-minute mile was achieved, it was no longer thought impossible. In fact, Bannister’s time set in 1954 has been lowered by 17 seconds. The four-minute mile is now considered the standard for middle distance runners across the world. Bannister himself wrote later there was nothing mystical or magical about the four-minute barrier. “It was really more of a myth than anything physical”.
There it is!
Without question training, being in shape, practicing, were factors but it was the “thinking” that at the end of the day was the deciding factor.
Teetering on the obvious – stress impacts thinking.
Our challenge and possibly the challenge is building new capacities for responding, reacting to factors that create stress. One important fact about stress – it isn’t going away. Therefore, believing that stress can be removed or that one can remove oneself from stress is more a fallacy except in life threatening situations. Here’s why – it is how we respond or react that creates stress not an event, activity, circumstance or even a person or persons. It is more often or not our response or reaction.
So how do we train, get in shape, practice if you will, to think differently about stress and therefore shift or change how we respond or react? Great question!
The first step is accepting that stress is and will remain. The second step is becoming aware that how we respond, react is greatly determined by how and what we think.
What we think is heavily dependent upon our perception of control of the variable, events, circumstances, and etc.
Consider your recent reactions, responses to circumstances, events, or people for that matter, how much control do you really have over these variables?
Truth is – little or none.
What we do have control over is how we respond or react.
Hence, what and how we think determines how we behave.
The work of interacting, relating, and working with others involves so many variables outside our control. We need to understand this not as an excuse for helplessness or apathy. Rather, this understanding influences how we think – how we respond or react.
In many ways we create more stress by how we react and respond to stress.
One central strategy that experts agree we all can do to build capacity is rest, eat better, and exercise. Hmm … I guess I have to rethink my conversation with my son.