Is your emotional state good for this situation?

We all know that how we feel affects our performance…

And when I say “performance” I’m talking about any time we take action and the result is important to us…

This can be at work, in sport, but it can just as well apply to when we’re talking to a loved one, for example.

Take The Temperature

Any time you do something and the result is important to you, it’s useful to check in and just take the “temperature” of your state to see if it supports you performing well in that situation.

Abilities ON/OFF

One of the reasons our emotional state affects our performance is because it regulates which abilities we have available to us…

I’m talking about abilities like creativity, patience, focus, concentration, understanding, compassion, big picture thinking, the ability to put yourself in someone else’s shoes, decisiveness, making a decision, and many, many more.

These are abilities we possess…

BUT they’re available when we are in the right emotional state, and not available in others.

State Is The Secret

How well we perform is directly related to having access to the right abilities you need to perform the task at hand…

And the secret is… our state determines that access!

And we know this from our own experience…

If you’re in a creative meeting at work but feeling pressured, annoyed, even angry, those creative ideas just don’t come to you! You’re “blocked”.

If you’re having a talk with a loved one at home, but you’re distracted and stressed by the events of the day at work, you can’t access the patience and understanding that you need…

When I’m in the gym, weight-lifting, I must have access to focus and precision… there’s no half measures when you are lifting heavy weights above your head… so I ensure that I’m in the right state for the job!

Change Your State To Support Your Performance

So, the first thing to notice with this question is whether your state is good for the situation at hand… if it will give you access to the abilities you need to perform well… and if it’s not, to change it.

The easiest way to change your state of mind is to first think of the state you want, and then remember a time when you felt that.

So, if you need to be creative, you remember a time when you felt creative, step into that experience as if it were happening now and you will feel what you felt then.

Now, some people can go straight there, but for others it’s a little more challenging, so here are some pro tips…

Pro Tips For Accessing The State You Want

1. Change your body first…

If we were looking at a person who was sad, would we be able to tell by their body?

Yes… their head would be down, talking slow, breathing deep and slow, posture slumped.

How would someone’s body be if they were excited?

Eyes open wide, upright posture, fast breathing, animated gestures.

So, our emotional state can be seen in our body, and in fact it is linked to a specific body arrangement, so if you adopt the body of the state you want, you can begin to feel that state.

So, consider…

What would you be doing with your body if you were feeling [the state you want]?

Adopt the body… the head position, face, posture, breathing, movements… and you will more easily access the state you want.

2. Tell the story…

Tell me about a time when you felt [the state you want].

Image if I asked you to tell me about a time when you felt the state you want. And in your mind you just start telling me about it.

This happened, that happened, I felt this… and that reminds me of another time I felt that too, and that time, this was happening…

Personally, I find it easier to recall a time if I imagine telling someone a story about it…

And the more I go into the story, into the detail, the more immersed in remembering the experience, the stronger the state is.

Imagine you’re telling the story of the time you felt that feeling.

3. Pretend

I remember being amazed as a young boy, when my parents would come into my room to check I was asleep and I would pretend to be asleep, that with pretending I would actually begin to feel sleepy!

You can simply make it up!

What would it be like if you were in that state, now?

This works because it draws on our creativity, past experiences, what we’ve seen in others and we adopt the body that further triggers the state.

Check-in And Change

So, any time you do something and the result is important to you, it’s useful to check in and take the ‘temperature” of your state to see if it supports you performing well in that situation.

Ask the question…

Is your emotional state good for this situation?

And if it is not, change your state!