Elite Performance

{10 minutes}

The Role of Appropriate Challenge in Elite Performance

Good Stress and Performance

There is much passionate discussion about the differences between 'good' stress and 'bad' stress as it relates to performance and wellbeing. Good stress, which is technically known as 'eustress' is distinguished from other kinds of stress, e.g., distress, such as chronic, toxic, and traumatic stress. Good stress is beneficial and increases the adaptive resourcing of our systems, helps us break through barriers, and helps us perform at an elite level. Good stress can become the gateway to capacities that we didn't know we had. In certain conifer forests, it takes a wildfire for some seeds to sprout. This is an example of eustress, and a good illustration of this phenomenon. Good stress is this kind of good fire that breaks seeds open. Unless things get hot enough, our full potentials may not develop.

Related Practices:

See Feeding Your Confidence. See Open the Heart. See Change the Inputs. See Archetypal Motor Gestures. See Celebrate Success. See Turning on the Connection System. See Building Peace. See Hacking the Connection System. See Grounding. See Natural Vitality. See Secrets of Natural Movement. See Speaking from the Heart. See As the Whirlwind Intensifies. See Boxing. See To Heal or to Grow.

Who taught us this?

Much of our comprehension of this comes from studying Dr. Peter Levine's naturalistic approach to trauma resolution, called Somatic Experiencing. This learning was supported by Steven Hoskinson, MA, MAT, developer of the Organic Intelligence model of Moving Beyond Trauma. In our opinion, neither of these bodies of work yet comprensively integrates an understanding of racial trauma into its core theoretical framework, either for white bodies, or bodies of color. For bodies of color, Rezmaa Menakem's work in this direction, articulated through his beautiful book, My Grandmother's Hands, and his training work, is a liberating movement in this direction. From the anti-racism side, Lee Mun Wah's seminal work in mindful anti-racist facilitation is excellent, but does not yet integrate the Polyvagal Theory, trauma therapy, or body-centered psychotherapy.

Who taught us this?

Much of our comprehension of this comes from studying Dr. Peter Levine's naturalistic approach to trauma resolution, called Somatic Experiencing. This learning was supported by Steven Hoskinson, MA, MAT, developer of the Organic Intelligence model of Moving Beyond Trauma. In our opinion, neither of these bodies of work yet comprensively integrates an understanding of racial trauma into its core theoretical framework, either for white bodies, or bodies of color. For bodies of color, Rezmaa Menakem's work in this direction, articulated through his beautiful book, My Grandmother's Hands, and his training work, is a liberating movement in this direction. From the anti-racism side, Lee Mun Wah's seminal work in mindful anti-racist facilitation is excellent, but does not yet integrate the Polyvagal Theory, trauma therapy, or body-centered psychotherapy.

Photography: Licensed from Pexels.com, used with permission.