BEFORE APPLYING the SBRT technique to specific situations, we need to understand that this technique must become a habit—one that replaces mismanaged pressure. As mentioned earlier, habit replacement is important because we tend to rely on habit when under pressure. Our body and mind naturally want to work as efficiently as possible. Habits are habits because they are easy for us; they are the behavior that requires the least amount of effort. Our goal is thus to develop the Stop, Breathe, Rewrite, and Take Action approach as a habit. In this way, when pressure arises, our habit will be to deal with it advantageously.
Keep in mind that performing well under pressure will not miraculously occur simply because you have read this book. It requires practice and persistence both when you are under pressure and when you are not. The latter is particularly important, for if you have not tried to develop these behaviors as a habit during less stressful times, you may create cognitive overload trying to develop them when stress is high. If a workshop or training manual on performing under pressure only provides information for use when you are already on overload, nothing will change; in fact, pressure will be increased. It is therefore vital, from the start, to work at establishing the SBRT technique as a habit. Once established, performing well under pressure will be somewhat automatic and require little response effort.
Developing the SBRT Habit: Key Steps
To develop the habit of performing well under pressure, each day follow these key steps:
1. Remind yourself of the importance of habit replacement, that is, breaking the habit of mismanaged pressure and establishing the SBRT habit.
2. Use cueing to “check in” and practice.
3. Reward yourself for success.
1. Remind Yourself of the Importance of Habit Replacement
In this first step, remind yourself of what you will gain from breaking the habit of mismanaged pressure. Keep in mind that we habitually respond to pressure in a nonoptimal way because of its short-term payoff—we see that being under stress can help us get the job done. Yet, such stress often spirals out of control, lowering productivity in the long run and creating a need for “recovery time.” This is why you need to constantly remind yourself of the long-term payoff of performing well under pressure. Specifically, remind yourself that when you channel the physiological boost associated with stress in the correct way, your productivity will increase, you will feel energized, and you will not require recovery time.
Your Personal Reminder
• By performing well under pressure, I will increase my productivity. If I were more productive, I would feel:
• By performing well under pressure, I will have more time to get things done. If I had extra time, I would:
• By performing well under pressure, I will increase my level of energy. If I had more energy, I would:
• By performing well under pressure, I will be able to relax when I leave work. If I were relaxed when I left work, I would:
Above is a handy personal reminder. Complete the open-ended statements and keep the reminder in an easily accessible place in your desk. Look it over each time you have reason to be in that area of your desk.
2. Use Cueing to “Check In” and Practice
This second step in developing the SBRT habit serves as an early warning system as well as a way to practice stress management. You want to catch the symptoms of pressure (both physical and psychological) as early as possible to offset any negative stress reaction; you also want to practice the SBRT process as often as possible.
Specifically, create one or more cues that you will use throughout the day to “check in” on your stress levels. Use the cues for practice whether you are under pressure or not.
In general, follow these two guidelines:
• If you are under pressure, use the cue to complete the entire SBRT process.
• If you are not under pressure, use the cue to engage in the first two steps, Stop and Breathe. This will promote optimal energy management and make performing under pressure much easier when the need arises.
Suggestions and techniques for incorporating cueing into your workday are detailed on the following page. They focus on “Waiting Time,” “The Usual Routine,” and “Your Environment.”
Incorporating Cueing Into Your Workday
WAITING TIME
Use waiting time as a cue; for example, when you are waiting in traffic, in line, for your computer to respond, and for a phone call. “Check in” and practice breathing and mindfulness techniques instead of becoming impatient and angry.
Preparing to use this cue: Write down three common workday situations in which you must wait. What is your usual response in these situations? Which breathing technique is most natural to you and can be done in the situations likely to arise?
THE USUAL ROUTINE
“Check in” and practice mindfulness during your usual routine. For example, practice when walking to and from your car, before starting a new task, or when preparing to make an important phone call. During your next workday, mindfully perform a routine activity.
Preparing to use this cue: Pick three common actions you perform multiple times during your workday. What is your usual response to these situations? Do you perform the actions without thought? To remind yourself to perform mindfully, record the actions on Post-Its and hang them near the place of activity. For example, put one in your car that reads “Walk mindfully to your destination.”
YOUR ENVIRONMENT
Environmental cues include a phone ringing, email arriving, and someone saying hello. Take these as opportunities to practice deep breathing. For example, when the phone rings, take two deep breaths before picking up the receiver.
Preparing to use this cue: Pick three environmental cues. What is your usual response to these situations? Decide to use them as opportunities to practice deep breathing. Record the cues on a Post-It labeled “Breathe” so that you do not forget.
3. Reward Yourself for Success
As we have seen, one reason why mismanaged tension becomes a habit is that we get an immediate reward from it. The fact is, as much as we hate to admit it, everyone performs for rewards. We repeat behaviors that “get us something,” and will stop doing whatever is not rewarded. One basic law of reward systems is that immediate rewards are more effective (or more rewarding) than delayed rewards.
Consider the following choices:
• Smoking a cigarette and feeling better in the moment versus not smoking a cigarette and living longer
• Eating ice cream for dessert because it tastes good versus eating yogurt and keeping your weight down in the long run
• Shouting at someone in anger and feeling a release of tension versus controlling your anger and not saying something that will ruin your future friendship
• Working though dinner to get a project finished versus how you will feel for the rest of the evening
Clearly, when we have a choice between a small immediate reward and a large delayed reward, we tend to choose the former. Think of a child who is offered the choice between getting one bag of M&Ms today or two bags of M&Ms tomorrow. Every child will take the single bag of M&Ms today. You are probably thinking, But how does this apply to me? I’m not a child! If I can make one million dollars today but two million dollars if I wait until tomorrow, I’ll wait until tomorrow!
The problem is, most of us, especially when under pressure, fail to think of the larger, delayed reward; instead, we fall back on habit and choose the smaller, immediate reward. For instance, if you didn’t know or hadn’t considered that you could make two million dollars tomorrow, you would take one million today. This is not because you are acting like a child but because you haven’t really considered the larger, delayed reward.
The majority of us suffer from the habit of performing sub-optimally under pressure. The short-term rewards —particularly the feeling that we’re getting the job done—reinforce this habit. Yet if we stop and look at the bigger picture, we find that the rewards of managing stress with SBRT are, in the long term, much greater: Not only will we get the job done, but our work will be of higher quality, we will feel energized, and we will be ready to approach the next project more quickly. Dealing with delayed gratification is partly why it is so important to remind yourself of the rewards of engaging in the SBRT process. Along with this reminder, though, you should consciously provide yourself with more immediate reinforcement—short-term rewards for engaging in the process.
There are many techniques for developing immediate rewards. The use of multiple techniques simultaneously is optimal. Here are six possibilities:
• Keep track of your success. During the day, keep a record of how many times you engaged in the SBRT technique. Simply being aware of your actions can serve as reinforcement. For example: Create a table on your computer, and checkmark the table each time you engage in the SBRT technique. Be sure to keep the table in a visible place.
• Use tangible rewards. Decide on a rewardcontingency system. For example, if you engage in SBRT three times in one day, reward yourself with 20 minutes of web-surfing or a special coffee drink. The reward should be something that you enjoy and are willing to sacrifice if you fail to meet your daily goal. Be careful not to choose rewards that will promote more stress or otherwise work against you. For instance, do not use alcohol or staying up incredibly late as a reward; either will make you tired and unfocused.
• Reflect on the positive things that you accomplished today. At the end of the day, take a moment, breathe deep, and reflect on the positive things that have happened. Examples of positive things include projects that got finished, good conversations with coworkers, and the fact that you aren’t extremely stressed-out.
• Use self-praise. Immediately after engaging in the SBRT technique, praise yourself. For example, say something nice such as “Way to go” or “I’m on the ball today.”
• Notice the way your body feels. The SBRT technique has the natural reinforcing property of reducing stress and tension. Tune in to your body and see how it feels. With some practice, you should be able to notice a big difference.
• Have another person provide the reinforcement. Keep track of your success by joining forces with a partner. In this way, the two of you can reinforce each other and supply praise. It is much easier to maintain reinforcement contingencies if another person is involved in the process.
As we have seen in this chapter, to use the SBRT technique effectively, you must establish it as a habit. To create the habit, you need to remind yourself of the delayed reward of engaging in SBRT, use cueing to “check in” with yourself throughout the day, and provide yourself with immediate rewards for practice.