HOW TO TRAIN YOUR BRAIN FOR STRESSFUL SITUATIONS

A few years ago, I was asked to present my work to one of the company's executive committee, someone who could make or break my career and who was known for blunt put-downs. I was terrified. The more I thought about it, the more I catastrophised around the things that might go wrong, that I might say wrong, or that he might end up thinking of me. Every time I thought of it, my heart would race, I'd get sweaty, I'd stop being my normal, logical self. Why? A primitive part of the brain was doing its thing - the amygdala, which you could argue is better suited to enabling me to flee from mammoths in the stone age than it is to tackle corporate life in the 21st century, was kicking off a "fight or flight" response in me - effectively getting me ready to flee the scene (exactly what I felt like doing!).

These are the same kind of responses that many people feel when they try and do a presentation in front of people, or start a new job, or walk into a room of strangers. So what does neuroscience teach us about how we can change or use this response to our favour?

The amygdala helps in the storage of memories associated with emotional events. These emotional memories are what trigger the fear responses, like freezing, sweating and panicky breathing, as well as more positive feelings like joy, excitement and compassion. So if you can manage the memories, you can manage the responses. Try these tips:

Train your brain to get past the fear

1/ Practice - Repeatedly experiencing something that could be fearful but without dire consequences leads to a reduction in the response that you get from the amygdala. So if you're scared of a presentation, practice delivering the presentation without an audience. Or if you're scared of an exam, practice sitting in the same seat doing a practice test. Or join a group like Toastmasters, where its a safe environment to practice what you want to say.

2/ Distract - You can change the way you feel by changing what you are focused on. For the brain, it doesn't matter if what you are thinking about is felt, remembered or imagined, it has the same emotional response. So practice remembering how relaxing it was lying on that hammock in the Maldives, or how confident you feel when you ballroom dance, or how happy you were on when your kids graduated. Whatever it is that creates that state for you. And then practice taking yourself back there, so the next time you're heading into a meeting room for a terrifying meeting, you can calm your emotional state by mentally being in the Maldives.

3/ Somatics - While there has been some debate about this, research by the likes of Amy Cuddy (see her amazing TED talk) has shown that the brain also takes cues from our body as to how we are. So if we stand straight, with relaxed breathing, our brain will determine that we are calm and confident. Likewise, if there is a worried expression, your muscles are tense and breathing is fast and shallow, then your brain may deduce that you are anxious. So if you change the way your body is, you can change the messages your brain gets. You can also help embed your body in this mindset by wearing the clothes that enforce it - like the suit that makes you feel confident and suave, or the shoes that make you stand up straight.

If you prepare well and practice the above, your brain can make adjustments to reduce that fear response. For me, I found a combination of practicing my key points, having a memory to escape to in order to calm down, and a power outfit helped the Big Cheese call me out as "impressive", proof that training your brain helps.

Embedding these kind of techniques, exploring others, and understanding the root cause thoughts that are triggering the emotional responses, are were coaching can help. Interested? Book a free 30 minute intro call.

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