What if the worst happens? I tell you inside
Mar 04, 2022 12:05 pm
Good Friday morning,
The CrossFit Open has gotten off to a good start. With a series of wall walks, 50# dumbbell snatches and box jump overs I placed in the top 37th percentile in the world for men my age. Tonight is a couplet of 225# deadlifts and bar facing burpees and my hope is to be at least 1% better to score top 36th%.
The first post below gives you a peek into a monthly video feature inside Success Stories Membership, and offers some practical advice on how to handle the anxiety caused by "what if...? thinking.
Then I drop a couple of power nap tips. Sleep is critical for performance and if you want to improve yours, check out my Sleep Your Way to the Top workshop available on demand.
Enjoy the day,
Dr E
***
Answer Your "What If...?" Questions
Enjoy these highlight’s from February’s Monthly Mindset, an exclusive video series for Success Stories Members...
“What if?” thinking is common and characterized by rapid questioning of one imagined negative possibility after another. We feel as if each imagined negative scenario has happened. The distress builds upon itself one question on top of the other.
Here are three steps to handle this specific type of anxiety:
1. Be aware of the questioning as your mind doing it’s job. You mind is built to warn you of danger … of what could go wrong, not what will.
2. Answer the question. What would you do if this bad thing did happen? Chances are you would handle it. You may not like it, but you will handle it. This should bring you some confidence that you will be ok and free you up to …
3. Focus on what you can do right now to perform your best.
Join us as we overcome obstacles to excellence together
***
How to Power Nap
Naps can boost your mood and energy levels, and curb daytime sleepiness.
Daytime naps can offer significant motor skill memory improvement and reduce muscle fatigue. (Think: athletic skill development)
The U.S. Army’s revised fitness manual (Oct 2020) included a new recommendation of strategic napping to “build physical lethality and mental toughness to win quickly and return home healthy.”
Nap guidelines:
- Keep it short, 15-30 minutes to stay in the light Stages 1 and 2 to avoid the “sleep hangover” (drowsiness and grogginess) that occurs when you interrupt deep sleep.
- Finish your nap before 3PM so you don’t make it hard to fall asleep at night
- Longer naps of 60-120 minutes can provide the restorative benefits of deep sleep, but test the length to match your sleep cycle. It’s best to wake up at the end of a sleep cycle.
- Tracking your post-nap emotional and physical responses to identify the optimal time span for your daily snooze.
Want to know more about improving sleep for performance?
🥇Check out the “Sleep Your Way to the Top” workshop.
Sign up and walk away with a bedtime routine that creates better focus, mood & performance for the next day. Just $37!
Sleep better tonight so you play better tomorrow.
***
Dr. Eddie O’Connor
