mental skills
Everyone wants to know the ‘secret’ to motivation. Like most topics, this isn’t as simple as repeating cliches like ‘just don’t quit’ or ‘stay hard’. These sayings can be useful as simple reminders of more complex concepts, but only if you understand the underlying process and skills that lead to that outcome. Without those underlying […]
Visualization, like segmenting, is exactly what it sounds like – the practice of mentally rehearsing something before you do it. Researchers use the acronym PETTLEP to break down the components of a visualization exercise that should be accounted for: Physical, Environment, Task, Timing, Learning, Emotion and Perspective [1,2]. Skills are contextual. When you’re practicing something […]
“It is according to opinion that we suffer.” – Lucius Annaeus Seneca One of the main things setting special operators apart from those with less rigorous training is that they don’t break down as much when things go sideways. It’s not so much that they possess amazing YouTube trick shooting skills, it’s that they don’t […]
We’ve all got a running commentary in our heads throughout much of the day–scientists call it an “internal monologue”. During intensely challenging workouts or events in selection you’ll find out just how loud this voice can get, and it’s totally inescapable. It can be a force for good or an agent of your destruction. Learning […]
Scientific studies of memory are a little scary, because the evidence is in, and your memory sucks. Memories are not objective recordings of our experiences. They are colored by any number of distortions and biases, even when they’re fresh. Each time we recall a memory and re-experience it, we’re also updating it. Memories that are […]
A little-appreciated fact about selection is that a surprising amount of the quitting happens on a Sunday night or Monday morning, not in the middle of training evolutions. That’s right, GI Jane was a lie. It’s not the immediate prospect of doing push-ups for another hour that really messes with your head, it’s reflecting in […]
“Such as are your habitual thoughts, such also will be the character of your mind; for the soul is dyed by the thoughts.” – Marcus Aurelius Most people have heard sayings like “You are the sum of the five people you spend the most time with.” This is one of the advantages of belonging to […]
“Nothing happens to anybody which he is not fitted by nature to bear.” Marcus Aurelius One of the universally desirable traits across selection courses is what psychologists call low neuroticism. This doesn’t mean being dead inside or emotionless. The best translation would be “high emotional stability.” It’s the ability to self-monitor your emotional responses and […]
Take away thy opinion, and then there is taken away the complaint, “I have been harmed.” Take away the complaint, “I have been harmed,” and the harm is taken away. -Marcus Aurelius, Meditations Compartmentalization is the practice of mentally setting things aside that are unnecessary or counterproductive to your immediate purpose. Think of a soldier […]
Regardless of your occupation, self-regulation is a key component of resilience and performance under stress. Self-regulation has an immediate effect, in that it helps you direct your cognitive function and make better decisions in difficult situations. In the medium-term, it helps to modulate circadian rhythms, prevent burnout, and manage energy and recovery. And, in […]