1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:03,200 Everyone online keeps telling to reduce stress, meditate, breath 2 00:00:03,200 --> 00:00:05,480 work, touch grass. Here's the truth, you can't 3 00:00:05,480 --> 00:00:08,280 meditate your way out of a shit job, toxic boss, or an empty 4 00:00:08,280 --> 00:00:10,600 bank account. I was at my lowest, obese, 5 00:00:10,600 --> 00:00:14,040 unfit, stressed, drinking too much, The Odd Couple are 6 00:00:14,040 --> 00:00:15,520 naughties if you know what I mean. 7 00:00:15,560 --> 00:00:17,520 It wasn't removing stress that changed me. 8 00:00:17,520 --> 00:00:19,360 It was adding the right kind of stress. 9 00:00:19,360 --> 00:00:21,800 Because stress is energy. And when you understand how it 10 00:00:21,800 --> 00:00:25,080 works, then you can push harder, go further and turn things 11 00:00:25,080 --> 00:00:26,560 around. And in this podcast, I'm going 12 00:00:26,560 --> 00:00:29,080 to share my story and share psychological tricks that we can 13 00:00:29,080 --> 00:00:32,280 use to regulate stress levels and help us perform better. 14 00:00:32,479 --> 00:00:34,360 So first, a quick introduction. I'm Terry and this is the 15 00:00:34,360 --> 00:00:36,320 Rockman podcast. After turning my life around 16 00:00:36,320 --> 00:00:38,520 through challenges and goal setting, I gained A perverse 17 00:00:38,520 --> 00:00:41,600 interest in the psychology of performance because ultimately I 18 00:00:41,600 --> 00:00:42,880 discovered it's all in your head. 19 00:00:42,880 --> 00:00:45,160 And for the last five years have been putting this into practice, 20 00:00:45,160 --> 00:00:47,920 even setting world records for the world's largest GPS drawing 21 00:00:47,920 --> 00:00:49,960 of a cock and balls. Yes, that actually happened. 22 00:00:49,960 --> 00:00:51,920 But also becoming an award-winning fundraiser and 23 00:00:51,920 --> 00:00:54,000 challenge athletes and creating my own online running and 24 00:00:54,000 --> 00:00:56,280 fitness challenge platform, Rockman, which helps people find 25 00:00:56,280 --> 00:00:59,160 their motivation again, prove themselves and reclaim their 26 00:00:59,160 --> 00:01:00,160 edge. And if you want to know my 27 00:01:00,160 --> 00:01:03,160 favorite 31 mindset strategies for performance, there's a link 28 00:01:03,160 --> 00:01:05,120 down below. You can download it for free, so 29 00:01:05,120 --> 00:01:28,160 let's dive in. Firstly, before we get into the 30 00:01:28,160 --> 00:01:30,640 story, we need to understand exactly what stress is and why 31 00:01:30,640 --> 00:01:32,240 it's important. It's essentially just your 32 00:01:32,240 --> 00:01:35,360 body's response to stressful situations and pressure or small 33 00:01:35,360 --> 00:01:38,000 amounts can be motivating, chronic or overwhelming. 34 00:01:38,000 --> 00:01:40,760 Stress can actually have negative effects on your body, 35 00:01:40,760 --> 00:01:43,600 your mind, your emotional state and everything in between. 36 00:01:43,640 --> 00:01:46,800 It can cause a range of issues from irritability and moodiness 37 00:01:47,000 --> 00:01:49,920 to burnout, sleep problems and even illness. 38 00:01:49,920 --> 00:01:53,520 It can even increase the risk of premature death by 30 to 50%. 39 00:01:53,520 --> 00:01:55,920 But it all comes down to the hormone cortisol. 40 00:01:55,920 --> 00:01:57,840 It's often referred to as the stress hormone because it's 41 00:01:57,840 --> 00:01:59,880 always released in response to stress. 42 00:01:59,880 --> 00:02:01,640 But in reality, it isn't a stress hormone. 43 00:02:01,640 --> 00:02:04,400 It's your rhythm hormone. It sets up your daily curve of 44 00:02:04,400 --> 00:02:07,120 energy and alertness. It's not evil, it's just ancient 45 00:02:07,120 --> 00:02:09,240 performance tech. And your problem isn't high 46 00:02:09,240 --> 00:02:12,480 cortisol, it's often misplaced or mismanaged cortisol. 47 00:02:12,480 --> 00:02:15,080 Cortisol is like your chief operation officer for stress and 48 00:02:15,080 --> 00:02:17,880 performance, and its job is to prepare the body for action and 49 00:02:17,880 --> 00:02:19,520 focus. Think of a car When you flip it 50 00:02:19,520 --> 00:02:22,440 into sports mode, Cortisol is what primes it for action. 51 00:02:22,520 --> 00:02:24,560 The spoiler pops out the steering Titans. 52 00:02:24,560 --> 00:02:27,120 The suspension stiffens. In humans, it mobilizes 53 00:02:27,200 --> 00:02:29,960 resources, it raises blood glucose, it increases blood 54 00:02:29,960 --> 00:02:32,760 pressure, it regulates mood and focus. 55 00:02:32,760 --> 00:02:35,600 Your body is ready for action and ready to perform. 56 00:02:35,760 --> 00:02:38,040 The thing is, we only have one response for stressful 57 00:02:38,040 --> 00:02:41,160 situations and pressure. It is this increase in cortisol. 58 00:02:41,280 --> 00:02:43,440 It doesn't matter if you're being chased by a pack of rabid 59 00:02:43,440 --> 00:02:45,760 wolves or you get a shitty text off your boss. 60 00:02:46,000 --> 00:02:48,560 It's all the exact same cortisol response. 61 00:02:48,560 --> 00:02:51,560 Your body's getting ready for movement, fight, or flight. 62 00:02:51,560 --> 00:02:53,720 But just to finish off the car metaphor, let's see what happens 63 00:02:53,720 --> 00:02:56,680 when cortisol is poorly managed. Obviously problems arise when 64 00:02:56,680 --> 00:02:59,800 your body response is turned on for prolonged periods of time, 65 00:02:59,880 --> 00:03:01,880 just like if you keep a car in sports mode for prolonged 66 00:03:01,880 --> 00:03:04,120 periods of time, even when you're driving just to the 67 00:03:04,120 --> 00:03:06,000 shops. The brakes, the hydraulics, the 68 00:03:06,000 --> 00:03:08,200 suspension is all going to wear out and you're going to end up 69 00:03:08,200 --> 00:03:10,000 fucking the engine. That's exactly what happened to 70 00:03:10,000 --> 00:03:13,040 me. My body was redlining 24/7 and 71 00:03:13,040 --> 00:03:15,640 it's the same in humans. Chronic stress levels can smash 72 00:03:15,640 --> 00:03:19,040 your energy levels, ruin sleep and affect your mood and focus, 73 00:03:19,040 --> 00:03:21,320 and wreck your health. See, you can't meditate your way 74 00:03:21,320 --> 00:03:24,560 out of a shit situation. You do it by taking control. 75 00:03:24,640 --> 00:03:26,320 You have to attack the stressors. 76 00:03:26,320 --> 00:03:28,800 I was once working for, for this high profile fitness brand. 77 00:03:28,920 --> 00:03:32,240 Mention no names and it was a fast-paced job, high pressure, 78 00:03:32,440 --> 00:03:34,480 lots of hard work. I really enjoyed it, it was 79 00:03:34,480 --> 00:03:37,040 really good fun. But I had pressure from my boss 80 00:03:37,040 --> 00:03:39,280 constantly. And now we're not talking just 81 00:03:39,280 --> 00:03:41,880 in work, it would be when I left work as well. 82 00:03:42,120 --> 00:03:46,360 I'd be getting taxes at 10:00 PM midnight, threatening my job, 83 00:03:46,480 --> 00:03:49,640 picking me up on things I may have done like a typo in a post 84 00:03:49,640 --> 00:03:51,720 or something like that, or a heading on an e-mail that you 85 00:03:51,720 --> 00:03:54,600 didn't like. It was constant pressure and I 86 00:03:54,600 --> 00:03:57,640 couldn't escape it. Even when I would go home in my 87 00:03:57,640 --> 00:04:01,440 evenings, on the weekends, it would still get to me. 88 00:04:01,560 --> 00:04:05,040 I would still receive these aggressive texts and messages. 89 00:04:05,120 --> 00:04:06,840 I don't care who you are. You could be Bruce. 90 00:04:06,840 --> 00:04:09,200 I'm hard David Goggins for all I care. 91 00:04:09,400 --> 00:04:13,080 Excess can never endure. And it was after about two years 92 00:04:13,080 --> 00:04:14,440 when this started to really affect me. 93 00:04:14,440 --> 00:04:17,640 I started experiencing anxiety and burnout. 94 00:04:17,760 --> 00:04:19,760 And it wasn't because I couldn't handle it. 95 00:04:19,959 --> 00:04:23,040 I mean, everyone can to a certain extent, but I wasn't 96 00:04:23,040 --> 00:04:26,000 getting those rest bites. I wasn't being left alone. 97 00:04:26,280 --> 00:04:29,240 I wasn't being able to recharge and reset ready for the next 98 00:04:29,240 --> 00:04:31,520 day. The pressure was constant, often 99 00:04:31,520 --> 00:04:35,560 kept up late nights, 3:00 AM, four AMI couldn't sleep and over 100 00:04:35,560 --> 00:04:37,680 a period of time it took about two years. 101 00:04:37,920 --> 00:04:40,400 And that is when the pressure really started to affect me with 102 00:04:40,400 --> 00:04:43,760 anxiety burnout. I could see myself getting I'll 103 00:04:43,760 --> 00:04:45,880 if this continued. And I think I actually had my 104 00:04:45,880 --> 00:04:47,800 first panic attack. It was only mild. 105 00:04:47,800 --> 00:04:50,080 It was actually when I took my missus away to propose. 106 00:04:50,080 --> 00:04:53,280 It was supposed to be a lovely weekend and we're there and I'm 107 00:04:53,280 --> 00:04:56,800 getting ready to bend down on one knee and I get a text from 108 00:04:56,800 --> 00:04:59,920 my boss about a small typo in an e-mail. 109 00:05:00,120 --> 00:05:02,760 But it wasn't just calling me out on it, it was to the point 110 00:05:02,760 --> 00:05:04,800 where they were threatening my job about it. 111 00:05:04,880 --> 00:05:09,400 And I had this mad feeling of being overwhelmed, like a tunnel 112 00:05:09,400 --> 00:05:11,560 vision sort of getting the sweats on. 113 00:05:11,920 --> 00:05:13,720 My body just couldn't take it anymore. 114 00:05:13,720 --> 00:05:16,120 What was supposed to be one of the happiest times of my life, 115 00:05:16,480 --> 00:05:19,360 getting down on one knee and proposing to the the girlfriend. 116 00:05:20,040 --> 00:05:23,120 It became one of the worst. But as I say, when you're in 117 00:05:23,120 --> 00:05:26,680 situations like this, meditation, breath work, 118 00:05:27,200 --> 00:05:30,640 touching grass, smelling the flowers ain't going to do shit. 119 00:05:31,120 --> 00:05:34,200 The only way to overcome problems like this is to attack 120 00:05:34,200 --> 00:05:36,480 them, change them, and remove them. 121 00:05:36,600 --> 00:05:38,920 It might be a conversation that you keep avoiding, the gym you 122 00:05:38,920 --> 00:05:41,440 keep skipping, or the budget you've never looked at. 123 00:05:41,600 --> 00:05:44,560 Every time you face one, your stress response recalibrates and 124 00:05:44,560 --> 00:05:46,600 gets you stronger. You have to change your 125 00:05:46,600 --> 00:05:49,280 situation. And So what I did was I knew I 126 00:05:49,280 --> 00:05:51,720 needed to get out of the job. I couldn't quit. 127 00:05:51,760 --> 00:05:54,760 I had mortgage and bills to pay, so I couldn't just quit. 128 00:05:54,960 --> 00:05:58,600 So I set out a plan I need. I needed a new job and I just 129 00:05:58,600 --> 00:06:01,600 took action. This meant updating my CV, 130 00:06:01,760 --> 00:06:05,680 getting out there for other jobs, going to interviews and 131 00:06:05,680 --> 00:06:10,160 eventually and quite quickly, I managed to secure another job. 132 00:06:10,800 --> 00:06:14,920 And the pleasure I had in going into work the next day and being 133 00:06:14,920 --> 00:06:18,400 pulled into the office to talk about a YouTube headline that he 134 00:06:18,400 --> 00:06:22,200 wasn't happy with. Sat there, get berated and I was 135 00:06:22,200 --> 00:06:24,200 sat there with a smile for the whole thing. 136 00:06:24,240 --> 00:06:26,240 Because at the end of it I produced my letter of 137 00:06:26,240 --> 00:06:27,840 resignation. And you should have seen the 138 00:06:27,840 --> 00:06:30,520 picture on his face. It was worth it just for that. 139 00:06:30,600 --> 00:06:32,960 But also don't get me wrong, I am still friends with this boss 140 00:06:32,960 --> 00:06:36,400 today, Can you believe it? He is a good man, he was a good 141 00:06:36,400 --> 00:06:38,080 friend, he was a brilliant friend. 142 00:06:38,080 --> 00:06:40,600 But it was the pressure he put on me as a manager which ended 143 00:06:40,600 --> 00:06:43,800 up leading me to burnout. See, you can't do all this wanky 144 00:06:43,920 --> 00:06:46,880 Wellness shit to get yourself out of a stressful situation. 145 00:06:46,880 --> 00:06:50,120 You have to take action. And sometimes stress can be a 146 00:06:50,160 --> 00:06:53,720 fantastic catalyst for change. It's called the region beta 147 00:06:53,720 --> 00:06:55,960 paradox. It basically means the bigger 148 00:06:55,960 --> 00:06:58,280 problems often get solved quicker. 149 00:06:58,360 --> 00:07:00,480 And therein lies the paradox. Because you'd often think that 150 00:07:00,480 --> 00:07:03,480 smaller problems can get solved quicker, but it's the bigger the 151 00:07:03,480 --> 00:07:06,400 problem which causes the agency and urgency to get those 152 00:07:06,400 --> 00:07:08,920 problems solved. And I got to a point where that 153 00:07:08,920 --> 00:07:11,480 problem had to be solved. But this also so explains when 154 00:07:11,480 --> 00:07:14,720 stress isn't stressful enough. You will put up with a crappy 155 00:07:14,720 --> 00:07:17,720 boss, you will put up with a crappy job for much longer 156 00:07:17,720 --> 00:07:21,080 periods of time when you should have left a long time ago. 157 00:07:21,320 --> 00:07:24,200 And stress can be a fantastic catalyst for that change. 158 00:07:24,360 --> 00:07:26,480 See, it's not all bad. Now, there are obviously other 159 00:07:26,480 --> 00:07:29,680 forms of stress, say like bereavement or a relationship 160 00:07:29,680 --> 00:07:32,840 breakdown or a bout of illness. And these are very different 161 00:07:32,880 --> 00:07:35,520 because you can't just instantly get over them or you can't 162 00:07:35,520 --> 00:07:37,840 instantly fix them. What I see a lot of people do in 163 00:07:37,840 --> 00:07:40,600 those situations when the rug's been pulled up from beneath them 164 00:07:40,920 --> 00:07:43,720 and they sort of lose that foundation for living or the 165 00:07:43,720 --> 00:07:46,680 reality in which they live in has been massively shifted. 166 00:07:47,040 --> 00:07:49,840 A lot of the time you will see these people get drawn into 167 00:07:50,120 --> 00:07:52,720 endurance challenges. How many people do you know have 168 00:07:52,720 --> 00:07:55,680 done marathons or challenges in honour of someone that they've 169 00:07:55,680 --> 00:07:58,360 lost in their lives? It gives people a foundation to 170 00:07:58,360 --> 00:08:01,080 living again. It gives people a structure from 171 00:08:01,080 --> 00:08:03,400 when the rug has been pulled from beneath their feet and 172 00:08:03,400 --> 00:08:06,720 they've lost that structure. Goal setting can be a good way 173 00:08:06,720 --> 00:08:09,240 to actually get yourself back on track, but if you can change 174 00:08:09,240 --> 00:08:12,160 things then you first need to audit what is making you 175 00:08:12,160 --> 00:08:14,720 stressed. Find out and I'm sure it's going 176 00:08:14,720 --> 00:08:18,720 to be pretty easy to identify the stressor, but find it what 177 00:08:18,720 --> 00:08:23,240 it is and then make a plan to change it and then action that 178 00:08:23,240 --> 00:08:26,680 plan because if you wait around for it to fix itself, it may be 179 00:08:26,680 --> 00:08:28,720 too late. You may go down this path of 180 00:08:28,720 --> 00:08:30,160 burnout. And often when we're stressed, 181 00:08:30,160 --> 00:08:33,360 we can actually see comfort in activities that actually make 182 00:08:33,360 --> 00:08:35,400 that stress worse. I'm talking about sort of 183 00:08:35,400 --> 00:08:38,640 substance abuse, alcohol, food, nicotine. 184 00:08:38,640 --> 00:08:40,760 And this is what I did, which ended up leading me into the 185 00:08:40,760 --> 00:08:43,200 worst state of physical and mental health I'd ever been in 186 00:08:43,200 --> 00:08:45,320 my life. So working a full time job. 187 00:08:45,320 --> 00:08:47,800 I also had a side business as a graphic designer. 188 00:08:47,840 --> 00:08:51,200 This meant that I was working 9:00 to 5:00, coming home, 189 00:08:51,440 --> 00:08:54,800 having a bit of dinner, and then working from sort of seven till 190 00:08:54,800 --> 00:08:57,680 10 doing graphic design work. And there is a pressure with 191 00:08:57,680 --> 00:08:59,560 this because there's always deadlines to hit. 192 00:08:59,720 --> 00:09:01,840 There's always work. And I never got that time to 193 00:09:01,840 --> 00:09:05,240 sort of unwind and rest again. And this would lead me onto the 194 00:09:05,240 --> 00:09:09,000 weekends where it was my time to actually let loose and let off 195 00:09:09,000 --> 00:09:11,600 some steam. And I found this with heavy, 196 00:09:11,600 --> 00:09:18,600 heavy binge drinking, takeaways, poor food, smoking, and even the 197 00:09:18,600 --> 00:09:21,040 old recreational, you won't be happy at the end of the day and 198 00:09:21,040 --> 00:09:23,280 actually find some enjoyment in your life other than working 199 00:09:23,280 --> 00:09:26,240 from bloody 9:00 to 5:00. So you reward yourself with 200 00:09:26,240 --> 00:09:28,480 these activities. But these activities are all 201 00:09:28,480 --> 00:09:30,680 stress enhancers. These are all considered 202 00:09:30,680 --> 00:09:33,080 stresses upon your body and then your body response to it. 203 00:09:33,080 --> 00:09:36,080 Is it by increasing that cortisol again, flipping your 204 00:09:36,080 --> 00:09:39,480 body into sports mode, raising blood glucose, increasing blood 205 00:09:39,480 --> 00:09:41,760 pressure? You're alert, you're on edge. 206 00:09:41,920 --> 00:09:44,800 You can't talk about managing stress when you're necking 6 207 00:09:44,800 --> 00:09:48,360 coffees a day or 4 Red Bulls. These all have a taxing effect 208 00:09:48,520 --> 00:09:50,920 on your body and mind. And I wasn't getting any rest on 209 00:09:50,920 --> 00:09:52,880 the weekend. I would just roll back into 210 00:09:52,880 --> 00:09:54,480 Monday. I'm back into the stressful 211 00:09:54,480 --> 00:09:57,320 situation of work, and this abuse of all the substances and 212 00:09:57,320 --> 00:10:00,560 food and nicotine ended up leading me to become obese, 213 00:10:00,560 --> 00:10:03,160 unfit, and deeply, deeply unhappy. 214 00:10:03,320 --> 00:10:06,000 And if I continued on this path, I knew I probably wouldn't be 215 00:10:06,000 --> 00:10:08,840 here anymore, whether that's through health complications or 216 00:10:09,120 --> 00:10:11,320 through getting to a point where you no longer want to be here. 217 00:10:11,520 --> 00:10:14,560 But I knew what to do, I knew how to sort it out. 218 00:10:14,840 --> 00:10:17,520 It's pretty bloody obvious. You've got to cut all that stuff 219 00:10:17,520 --> 00:10:19,160 out and you've got to concentrate on your health. 220 00:10:19,640 --> 00:10:22,600 But even that was a stressor to me because it was the hard 221 00:10:22,600 --> 00:10:26,800 decision, the easy one was to go down the pub and go drinking 222 00:10:26,800 --> 00:10:28,520 again and again. The stress and the pressure got 223 00:10:28,520 --> 00:10:31,720 too much and it was again a catalyst for change which gave 224 00:10:31,720 --> 00:10:34,520 me the boot up the ass to go and seek something, something with 225 00:10:34,520 --> 00:10:37,000 more purpose, something that would help me get out of this 226 00:10:37,000 --> 00:10:38,400 hole. And that's when I signed up for 227 00:10:38,400 --> 00:10:40,600 my first challenge. It was a white collar boxing 228 00:10:40,600 --> 00:10:43,320 fight and in that period I didn't smoke, I didn't drink, I 229 00:10:43,320 --> 00:10:46,800 didn't take drugs, I ate clean, I ate healthy, I lost almost 3 230 00:10:46,800 --> 00:10:50,080 stone and got into the best shape of my life again. 231 00:10:50,080 --> 00:10:52,120 It's just about taking action stuff. 232 00:10:52,120 --> 00:10:53,880 All the bloody Wellness woo woo crap. 233 00:10:54,720 --> 00:10:58,480 It's about taking action, setting yourself a goals, giving 234 00:10:58,480 --> 00:11:01,880 yourself a plan to escape this and get through it and we all 235 00:11:01,880 --> 00:11:05,120 know how to do it Come on it's it's obvious, but it's about 236 00:11:05,120 --> 00:11:07,920 taking that first step and making a change. 237 00:11:08,120 --> 00:11:10,200 Why is this important to what we're talking about today? 238 00:11:10,280 --> 00:11:12,360 Because it's not all about the wanky woo woo shit. 239 00:11:12,440 --> 00:11:14,720 You can't bloody meditate your way out of a stressful 240 00:11:14,720 --> 00:11:17,080 situation. It's about taking action. 241 00:11:17,280 --> 00:11:19,760 If you're interested in setting yourself goals, setting yourself 242 00:11:19,760 --> 00:11:22,000 challenges, this is one of the main reasons why I set up 243 00:11:22,000 --> 00:11:23,320 rockman. It's an online challenge 244 00:11:23,320 --> 00:11:25,520 platform where you can take on weekly running into fitness 245 00:11:25,520 --> 00:11:27,200 challenges around your everyday life. 246 00:11:27,440 --> 00:11:30,600 We've all got busy lives this way you can slot in and fit in 247 00:11:30,600 --> 00:11:32,920 and you can do it in the comfort and safety of your own location 248 00:11:32,920 --> 00:11:35,240 gives you purpose. It gives you motivation every 249 00:11:35,240 --> 00:11:38,040 single week to go out and push your limits and prove something 250 00:11:38,040 --> 00:11:39,600 to yourself. If you want to find out more 251 00:11:39,600 --> 00:11:41,440 about that, there's a link in the description below. 252 00:11:41,480 --> 00:11:43,360 And we talked about how we can get control of stress. 253 00:11:43,640 --> 00:11:46,360 But how can we harness stress to increase performance? 254 00:11:46,400 --> 00:11:48,440 We can actually use psychological mindset strategies 255 00:11:48,440 --> 00:11:51,000 to actually get better and managing stress and dealing with 256 00:11:51,000 --> 00:11:53,200 the stress that we're under now. Here's how you can actually 257 00:11:53,200 --> 00:11:55,280 control stress to increase your performance. 258 00:11:55,480 --> 00:11:58,320 Now physiologically, there is no difference between excitement 259 00:11:58,320 --> 00:12:01,120 and stress. The only difference is in your 260 00:12:01,120 --> 00:12:04,440 mind and how you think about it. Heart rate spikes, breathing 261 00:12:04,440 --> 00:12:06,560 quickens, adrenaline floods the system. 262 00:12:06,720 --> 00:12:08,600 Your body's saying right, let's go. 263 00:12:08,800 --> 00:12:11,600 But the only difference is how you interpret it. 264 00:12:11,760 --> 00:12:13,160 It's what's going on in your mind. 265 00:12:13,240 --> 00:12:15,600 If you couple that physiological change with negative thoughts, 266 00:12:15,600 --> 00:12:18,280 then you're going to get anxiety and this is going to cause you 267 00:12:18,280 --> 00:12:22,160 to choke and freeze. Hence the term fight, flight or 268 00:12:22,160 --> 00:12:24,400 freeze. It's the same chemistry, just a 269 00:12:24,400 --> 00:12:26,800 different mindset. And there's been research done 270 00:12:26,800 --> 00:12:29,720 on this with athletes. Those that see stress as a 271 00:12:29,720 --> 00:12:33,040 performance enhancer will let it do exactly that. 272 00:12:33,080 --> 00:12:35,960 That should show better focused, increased blood flow and faster 273 00:12:35,960 --> 00:12:38,320 reaction times. You see, a small dose of stress 274 00:12:38,320 --> 00:12:41,000 narrows your focus and sharpens decision making. 275 00:12:41,160 --> 00:12:44,520 Too much or seeing it as a danger shuts your brain down. 276 00:12:44,560 --> 00:12:46,400 That's why people can get road rage when they're driving. 277 00:12:47,080 --> 00:12:49,440 When you're stressed, which is what driving does, because 278 00:12:49,440 --> 00:12:52,400 you're concentrating, it narrows your focus. 279 00:12:52,600 --> 00:12:54,720 And then when someone cuts you up, that's when you get the 280 00:12:54,720 --> 00:12:57,080 peaks of rage. What you need to learn to do is 281 00:12:57,080 --> 00:13:00,120 to relax your brain. Relax that cortisol response. 282 00:13:00,280 --> 00:13:03,080 When you're relaxed, you have a bigger frame of vision. 283 00:13:03,200 --> 00:13:07,280 You can see more, you can react better, you're more relaxed. 284 00:13:07,320 --> 00:13:09,720 It's like when you're learning a new skill, say like the guitar. 285 00:13:09,720 --> 00:13:11,960 You can get stressed when you keep fluffing up the same old 286 00:13:11,960 --> 00:13:13,800 song. But as you get better, you learn 287 00:13:13,800 --> 00:13:16,240 to relax. It becomes more natural. 288 00:13:16,400 --> 00:13:18,920 You enjoy it more now. To manage your negative 289 00:13:18,920 --> 00:13:22,640 emotions, you can use tools like reframing, humor, positive 290 00:13:22,640 --> 00:13:24,360 thinking. The best one I find is 291 00:13:24,360 --> 00:13:26,240 reframing. You've got to think about it 292 00:13:26,240 --> 00:13:28,480 when you're in the bedroom and your wife gives you a tap on the 293 00:13:28,480 --> 00:13:31,280 ass and then you think, Oh my God, I didn't sign up for this. 294 00:13:31,840 --> 00:13:35,840 But if you reframe it in your mind as foreplay, now it's 295 00:13:35,840 --> 00:13:37,880 changed. Now all of a sudden you're 296 00:13:37,880 --> 00:13:41,280 leaning in ready for round two. You're kinky bastards. 297 00:13:41,400 --> 00:13:43,360 And I did this recently when I was given a talk at the Love 298 00:13:43,360 --> 00:13:45,680 Trails Running Festival about my world record. 299 00:13:45,680 --> 00:13:47,640 Cock and balls run. The stakes were high. 300 00:13:47,640 --> 00:13:49,760 It was very important to me that I got it right. 301 00:13:49,760 --> 00:13:52,560 I wanted to be invited back again, but there's also going to 302 00:13:52,560 --> 00:13:56,080 be a massive crowd judging me on what I deliver and what I say. 303 00:13:56,200 --> 00:13:58,720 Now I've got massive imposter syndrome when I'm standing on 304 00:13:58,720 --> 00:14:01,320 that stage, but I reframe the goal in my head. 305 00:14:01,480 --> 00:14:04,000 I was completely happy with falling on my ass with it. 306 00:14:04,000 --> 00:14:06,440 For it to go an absolute shit show, for people to not laugh, 307 00:14:06,440 --> 00:14:09,320 for people to not enjoy it, for people to think it's rubbish. 308 00:14:09,880 --> 00:14:14,400 And by doing that, I reduce the stress of the situation because 309 00:14:14,400 --> 00:14:16,280 if that happened, then I was ready for it. 310 00:14:16,280 --> 00:14:17,920 It was what I sort of expected anyway. 311 00:14:18,120 --> 00:14:21,240 But because it relaxed me, I actually spoke better, performed 312 00:14:21,240 --> 00:14:23,160 better, and I hope delivered a good talk. 313 00:14:23,160 --> 00:14:25,280 And it's the same with mental toughness and mental resilience. 314 00:14:25,400 --> 00:14:27,400 Mental toughness is dealing with the stress and the pressure in 315 00:14:27,400 --> 00:14:30,200 the here and the now, but mental resilience is being able to go 316 00:14:30,200 --> 00:14:33,200 again tomorrow and the next day and the next day. 317 00:14:33,560 --> 00:14:36,840 And the best chance of doing that is by reducing use cortisol 318 00:14:36,840 --> 00:14:40,200 levels is by using tactics like humor, reframing positive 319 00:14:40,200 --> 00:14:43,440 thinking to bring down your body's cortisol response. 320 00:14:43,640 --> 00:14:47,160 It gives you that time, that respite to regroup, recover and 321 00:14:47,160 --> 00:14:49,400 get ready to do it again. It's going to give you the 322 00:14:49,400 --> 00:14:51,760 longevity. And what's the best way to get 323 00:14:51,760 --> 00:14:54,800 that rest in and recoup? It's with sleep. 324 00:14:55,000 --> 00:14:57,840 Sleep is so important. It's where you get your rest. 325 00:14:57,960 --> 00:15:00,640 And when you're fully charged on cortisol and stress to the 326 00:15:00,640 --> 00:15:02,760 eyeballs, that's the thing that's going to get wrecked the 327 00:15:02,760 --> 00:15:04,720 most. How many people have sleepless 328 00:15:04,720 --> 00:15:06,680 nights, waking up at irregular times? 329 00:15:06,680 --> 00:15:09,720 Sleep should be your number one concentration, especially during 330 00:15:09,720 --> 00:15:11,560 stressful times. You know when people tell you to 331 00:15:11,560 --> 00:15:13,320 sleep on things when you're emotionally charged? 332 00:15:13,400 --> 00:15:16,120 Don't send your ex-girlfriend up text, don't send your boss that 333 00:15:16,120 --> 00:15:19,080 e-mail because they know a good sleep is one of the best ways to 334 00:15:19,080 --> 00:15:21,880 recover from stress and when you wake up, you're no longer 335 00:15:21,880 --> 00:15:23,800 stressed and you're going to think differently before you 336 00:15:23,800 --> 00:15:26,120 send those messages. If your cortisol rhythm is all 337 00:15:26,120 --> 00:15:28,960 out of whack, it can fuck your sleep up further, driving you 338 00:15:28,960 --> 00:15:32,000 further into the hole. Now it sounds obvious, but you 339 00:15:32,000 --> 00:15:35,040 need to wind down in the evenings, avoid stressful 340 00:15:35,040 --> 00:15:38,920 situations, relax, watch some TV, read a book. 341 00:15:39,040 --> 00:15:41,560 And this is where you can use tools like the meditation and 342 00:15:41,560 --> 00:15:43,760 the breath work so they're not completely useless. 343 00:15:44,000 --> 00:15:46,000 But this is where they can be utilized. 344 00:15:46,600 --> 00:15:50,480 Calm your mind, avoid all substances that spike cortisol, 345 00:15:50,600 --> 00:15:55,320 alcohol, nicotine, caffeine. And also try to avoid training 346 00:15:55,320 --> 00:15:58,560 in the evenings. Exercise also spikes cortisol. 347 00:15:58,680 --> 00:16:01,240 Your body's going to be buzzing. It sounds pretty obvious when 348 00:16:01,240 --> 00:16:03,560 you say it, and I'm sure you all know anyway if you. 349 00:16:03,560 --> 00:16:06,200 But if you can get that rest in and get a good solid sleep, it's 350 00:16:06,400 --> 00:16:08,120 just going to help you deal with the stress and the pressure for 351 00:16:08,120 --> 00:16:10,520 the next day. But cortisol can also help us 352 00:16:10,520 --> 00:16:13,560 wake up in the mornings. We all have a natural cortisol 353 00:16:13,560 --> 00:16:17,000 level, which sort of spikes in the morning and then tapers out 354 00:16:17,000 --> 00:16:19,720 them throughout the day. If you're waking up sluggish and 355 00:16:19,720 --> 00:16:22,600 you can't get out of bed, it means your cortisol is all out 356 00:16:22,600 --> 00:16:24,600 of whack. Your cortisol should spike in 357 00:16:24,600 --> 00:16:28,400 the morning, not at midnight. So good sleep and a strong 358 00:16:28,400 --> 00:16:31,120 morning routine can reset that natural rhythm. 359 00:16:31,320 --> 00:16:34,520 Otherwise your stress curve flips and you start every day 360 00:16:34,640 --> 00:16:37,240 already exhausted. You need to lean into natural 361 00:16:37,240 --> 00:16:39,240 stressors to wake you up with vigor. 362 00:16:39,400 --> 00:16:42,280 Natural sunlight helps you wake up, it spikes the cortisol 363 00:16:42,280 --> 00:16:44,080 levels. Get it as much in as early as 364 00:16:44,080 --> 00:16:47,040 possible. Hydrate, drink some water, do 365 00:16:47,040 --> 00:16:49,640 some light exercise like a walk or some stretching. 366 00:16:49,800 --> 00:16:53,560 And they too say in the research to avoid caffeine for the 1st 90 367 00:16:53,560 --> 00:16:55,000 minutes. Apparently caffeine blocks. 368 00:16:55,000 --> 00:16:57,600 Adenosine is one of the neurotransmitters that builds up 369 00:16:57,600 --> 00:17:00,880 during sleep, and in the morning it's at its lowest. 370 00:17:01,080 --> 00:17:03,640 So caffeine actually hasn't got anything to block. 371 00:17:03,640 --> 00:17:06,319 They recommended waiting an hour or two so your coffee hits 372 00:17:06,319 --> 00:17:08,800 harder and longer, but personally, I'm going to have 373 00:17:08,800 --> 00:17:11,319 that bloody morning coffee. I do not care. 374 00:17:11,359 --> 00:17:13,560 So we don't always have to stick to the science on this. 375 00:17:13,640 --> 00:17:17,240 You do you, you do you. See, cortisol isn't the enemy, 376 00:17:17,240 --> 00:17:19,520 it's the engine. You just need to learn how to 377 00:17:19,520 --> 00:17:23,040 Rev it and when to let it idle. When you control your stress, 378 00:17:23,160 --> 00:17:26,160 you control your mind. When you control your mind, you 379 00:17:26,160 --> 00:17:29,280 can endure or anything stress build every strong person that 380 00:17:29,280 --> 00:17:32,360 you admire. Learn to use it and it'll build 381 00:17:32,360 --> 00:17:34,120 you too. And don't forget, if you want to 382 00:17:34,120 --> 00:17:36,440 practice managing your stress, we'll give you a focus or 383 00:17:36,440 --> 00:17:38,760 something to work for. There's Rockman, my online 384 00:17:38,760 --> 00:17:40,600 challenge platform link in the description below. 385 00:17:40,600 --> 00:17:43,480 And don't forget, if you want my 31 favorite mindset strategies 386 00:17:43,480 --> 00:17:45,800 for performance, there's a link in the description below where 387 00:17:45,800 --> 00:17:47,800 you can download that for free. Thanks for watching. 388 00:17:47,920 --> 00:17:50,400 I hope you got some value out of it and I will see you next time 389 00:17:50,440 --> 00:17:51,960 on the Rockman podcast. Thank you. 390 00:18:37,200 --> 00:18:37,280 The.