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Mojo Monday - How to Keep Going When Your Mind Tells You to Stop · Hardiness with Dr Paul Taylor

• 0:09
  Speaker 1: Hi everyone, Carly Taylor here for this week's Mojo Monday.
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: So I'm going to start today with a bit of
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: self disclosure about something that happened to me the other morning,
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: and I haven't actually told anybody about this, so you
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: are the first to know. So I was doing a
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: CrossFit workout and it was a really, really tough workout.
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: It was very high cardio, and I'd woken up tired anyway,
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: so my energy was low. I had actually considered not going,
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: but I went because I knew I would feel great afterwards.
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: But it felt even It felt even tougher than usual,
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: I would say, because I was tired, and in the
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: middle of the workout, I started feeling really stressed. So
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: my adrenaline was pumping and my heart was pounding, and
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: I was breathing really heavily, And while I was jumping
• 0:58
  Speaker 1: over a barbell doing barbel facing burpies, I felt like
• 1:03
  Speaker 1: it was actually at the beginning of a minor panic attack,
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: which is something I've experienced a couple of times before,
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: but it's really not a common thing. And then my
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: mind piped up telling me that everyone else in the
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: gym was bitter and stronger and younger and more capable
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: than me, and honestly, I actually felt like bursting into tears.
• 1:25
  Speaker 1: And I don't know if anyone listening has experienced this
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: in an exercise context, but doing high intensity strain training
• 1:35
  Speaker 1: can bring on a stress response because you are putting
• 1:39
  Speaker 1: your body under stress. It's you know, the adrenaline is high,
• 1:43
  Speaker 1: and your heart rate is up, and your sweating and
• 1:45
  Speaker 1: your breathing is fast, and it's actually a good kind
• 1:50
  Speaker 1: of situation. That is, or an analogy, that's what can
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: happen when you have a panic attack. So I thought
• 1:59
  Speaker 1: I would tell you how I responded to it. So
• 2:01
  Speaker 1: of course my immediate response was, oh my god, what
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: is happening. I don't want this. I need it to stop.
• 2:07
  Speaker 1: This is embarrassing. I need to keep going. And then
• 2:12
  Speaker 1: I caught myself because I knew through all the work
• 2:15
  Speaker 1: that I've done that if I put my attention on
• 2:20
  Speaker 1: these sensations I was feeling, or the self defeating thoughts
• 2:23
  Speaker 1: that were racing through my mind, I would have a
• 2:26
  Speaker 1: panic attack and I would burst into tears. I knew
• 2:30
  Speaker 1: that putting my energy, my focus, my attention on trying
• 2:33
  Speaker 1: to stop feeling like this would be counterproductive because I
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: know that where our attention goes, the energy flows. So
• 2:44
  Speaker 1: instead of trying to control or suppress these thoughts and sensations,
• 2:49
  Speaker 1: I intentionally shifted my focus. I started to think about
• 2:54
  Speaker 1: the purpose of being there. I reminded myself of the
• 2:58
  Speaker 1: positive benefits this discomfort has on my health and my
• 3:02
  Speaker 1: mental health and the aging process, which are all reasons
• 3:06
  Speaker 1: why I work out in the first place. I thought
• 3:09
  Speaker 1: about the meaning behind the tough workout, it's my why.
• 3:13
  Speaker 1: And as I did that, I wasn't focused on the
• 3:17
  Speaker 1: anxious feelings anymore, and they began to dissipate. I was
• 3:20
  Speaker 1: able to go back into the workout and I finished it.
• 3:23
  Speaker 1: And the truth is I was one of the oldest
• 3:27
  Speaker 1: and the slowest in the room that dwelling on that
• 3:29
  Speaker 1: thought wasn't helpful to my purpose for being there. And
• 3:33
  Speaker 1: that's the takeaway. We will all feel anxious or panicked
• 3:37
  Speaker 1: at some point this year. Some will feel it more
• 3:41
  Speaker 1: than others, but it's inevitable because it's part of being human.
• 3:46
  Speaker 1: We will all feel that racing heart, the clammy hands,
• 3:49
  Speaker 1: maybe the stomach pain. We will all have unhelpful, self
• 3:54
  Speaker 1: defeating thoughts that if we allow them to can stop
• 3:57
  Speaker 1: us from being present with our kids and loved ones,
• 4:01
  Speaker 1: stop us from being consistent with our habits, stop us
• 4:05
  Speaker 1: from experiencing life and doing the very thing that will
• 4:10
  Speaker 1: help us to adapt and grow. And this all takes training.
• 4:15
  Speaker 1: It takes training to develop this skill of attention. And
• 4:19
  Speaker 1: by using our attention and connecting with our purpose means
• 4:24
  Speaker 1: that we can stay engaged in life even when it's tough.
• 4:28
  Speaker 1: And this is how we don't miss out on the
• 4:30
  Speaker 1: things that are important to us. And each challenge is
• 4:34
  Speaker 1: an opportunity for growth rather than a threat to avoid.
• 4:37
  Speaker 1: And it's about developing the capacity and the mindset to
• 4:42
  Speaker 1: acknowledge and make room for the discomfort while taking purposeful action.
• 4:48
  Speaker 1: So with all the goal setting and intentions that we've
• 4:51
  Speaker 1: made for twenty twenty five, we need to expect these obstacles,
• 4:55
  Speaker 1: Expect the hurdles, especially the hurdles that are in our
• 4:59
  Speaker 1: head head. So when they show up, here's some questions
• 5:03
  Speaker 1: that you can ask yourself that could be helpful. What
• 5:07
  Speaker 1: can I control in this situation? And here's a hint.
• 5:11
  Speaker 1: You cannot control your automatic emotions and thoughts. They come
• 5:16
  Speaker 1: and they go in their own good time. But trying
• 5:19
  Speaker 1: to control them is counterproductive and often makes things worse.
• 5:24
  Speaker 1: Next question is what needs to be done right now?
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  Speaker 1: What do I need to do that's aligned with my purpose,
• 5:30
  Speaker 1: with what's truly important to me despite these emotions showing up?
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  Speaker 1: Another question, how can I stay committed to what matters
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  Speaker 1: most here? And what are the opportunities for growth that
• 5:42
  Speaker 1: this challenge may offer. We have to train ourselves and
• 5:47
  Speaker 1: develop the capacity to keep going when things get tough.
• 5:51
  Speaker 1: And what happened to me the other day? It seems
• 5:54
  Speaker 1: like such a small, kind of insignificant moment during a workout,
• 5:58
  Speaker 1: but it was an opportunity for me to practice this
• 6:01
  Speaker 1: skill of attention. And these opportunities they show up in
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  Speaker 1: everyday lives. They are the baby steps or the opportunity
• 6:10
  Speaker 1: to take baby steps of training your mindset and that
• 6:13
  Speaker 1: muscle of attentional control and control what you can control,
• 6:18
  Speaker 1: keep your attention on what matters and keep moving forward.
• 6:22
  Speaker 1: And Marisa Shona Marita reminds us accept your feelings, know
• 6:27
  Speaker 1: your purpose, and do what needs to be done. And
• 6:31
  Speaker 1: this sounds really simple, but often simple doesn't mean it's
• 6:34
  Speaker 1: not hard to do. And this is a hard thing
• 6:37
  Speaker 1: to do, but with practice. This is how we can
• 6:41
  Speaker 1: live well. This is how we can live a rich
• 6:44
  Speaker 1: and full life. It's how we get stronger, not just physically,
• 6:48
  Speaker 1: but mentally and emotionally. So find those small moments and
• 6:53
  Speaker 1: use them to train your attention and therefore training that
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  Speaker 1: inner resilience. So great week everyone, and I will catch
• 7:02
  Speaker 1: you next week. See yup.