With the 2022 Winter Olympics already in full swing, we are reminded of the great athletes who thanks to years of dedication and sacrifice will be competing against the very best in their sport with the hope of triumph. During their events, the tension and sense of competition will hang heavy in the air, whilst the athletes themselves are the epitome of intense focus and concentration. They could be attacked by mosquitoes or a swarm of bees (yes, I know it’s winter!), but it really won’t register, because they are consumed by what is before them.

Ideally, and it may seem a contradiction, but in these intense moments – when everything is on the line – most of these athlete find calm. They are not panicked or feeling anxious. They are able to connect deeply within themselves, and trust that their years of practise and preparation will pay off.

Once their competition starts, the extent to which athletes can maintain that calm is a crucial contributor to their success. Usually, and it happens to all of us, the starting gun goes off, or it is time to take the stage, and there is a moment panic, anxiousness or butterflies, and the resulting movements can seem tense or constricted. However, and ideally after a few seconds, if the calmness returns, the movements become more relaxed, more efficient, and a rhythm is found – and hopefully, their very best effort is realised.

 

The Law Of Reversed Effort

For us mere mortals, being calm in the midst of an activity, be it whilst exercising, playing an instrument, delivering a presentation, or having a job interview, can seem paradoxical.  However, and according to the Law of Reversed Effort, also called the Backwards Law, which was first coined by writer and philosopher, Aldous Huxley:

“The harder we try with the conscious will to do something, the less we shall succeed. Proficiency and the results of proficiency come only to those who have learned the paradoxical art of doing and not doing, or combining relaxation with activity, of letting go as a person in order that the immanent and transcendent unknown quantity may take hold. We cannot make ourselves understand; the most we can do is to foster a state of mind, in which understanding may come to us”

If you think about it, it is the reason why, for example, if you are engaged in a physical activity, such as running, swimming or even yoga, your speed, stamina or even your flexibility improve when you are able to relax. When you are just starting the activity for the day, your body is still stiff, you are still carrying the tension of the day, you are yet fully focussed on what you are about to do. Thanks to the warm-up, your muscles are beginning to loosen, but your mind might still be focussed on other things: the kids you need to pick up once you’re done; dinner; the emails you still have send before going to bed…

However, over time, and as you begin to focus on your movements, and on trying to relax, you fall into a rhythm and begin to feel more in sync, more aligned and more aware of yourself. More importantly, your ability improves. You swim or run faster with seemingly less effort, or your flexibility seemed to have improved and you can hold yoga poses longer than you had just a few moments before.

In the workplace, the principle also applies. For example, if you are to deliver a presentation, all can be well until just before it is your time to shine. You become nervous and a bit anxious, but you need to start.

For the first one or two slides, your throat is dry, your voice is tight and tinged with nerves, your mind feels blank, though you’ve done the preparation and you know your stuff. As you continue to deliver, you start to relax. Your voice gets clearer and more confident, the information stored in your head comes flooding back, and you can begin to take in what is going on around you. By the end of it, you actually enjoyed yourself, and are receiving good feedback from your colleagues.

 

The Problem With Powering Through

In our western societies, we love an underdog story, and people who have overcome in the midst of adversity. In the movies, our hero is driven to the point where he or she should quit, but somehow, they find the strength to power through and beat the odds to victory!

However, there is a time and place to power through. Powering through is extremely useful to overcome the initial inertia you can feel when you have a task to do, but you don’t really ‘feel’ like doing it, but a deadline in looming. You really cannot wait to be inspired, and so powering through that inertia, in order to build a rhythm, is beneficial.

On the flipside, powering through can be necessary when the end of journey is near, but you feel like giving up, such as in the last few miles of a marathon, or in the final year of studying for your degree. At that point, you just want the journey to end, and what you need to do is hunker down for the last few miles, or for the last couple of semesters, in order to finish.

In the above scenarios, powering through serves a specific purpose: to get you over a hump, and get your mind back in the game. However, when powering through, a lot effort and mental energy is expended: in the pep talks you have to give yourself; in willing your body to put one foot in front the other; in remaining disciplined when all you want to do is watch TV and do nothing. However, it is when you are able to combine relaxation with activity, and find ‘the zone’ that you tend to excel in the quality and quantity of what you are able to produce.

 

The Art Of Relaxation

One of the first order of business in taking the Law Of Reversed Effort to heart is to dispel yourself of the myth that you cannot be relaxed and work hard or diligently at the same time:  that effort has to be stressful and is not something to be enjoyed.

In the first instance, it is important to learn your body and mind, and the sensations they experience when they feel stressed and anxious, as opposed to relaxed. So many of us are tense all the time, that it may take us a while – and some effort – decompress and recalibrate our body and mind to not only know the difference, but also to have a desire to be in a more relaxed state.

A key indicator of your stress levels tends to be your breath. Are your breaths quick and shallow, or they long and deep, fully expanding your lungs? If it is the former, consciously work on calming your thoughts, and on slowing down your breathing through longer and deeper breaths.

Another important tactic in order to be able to relax whilst in activity is to not focus on the outcome or the desired result. Instead, focus on being very present in the activity that you are doing. If physical activity is involved, connecting your movement and your breathing can be highly beneficial. In essence, you are building a meditation in being present and focussed on what you are doing, and the results (and rewards) are likely to be there at the end.

 

 

Image:  Chevanon Photography (Pexels)