1: The default mode for peak performers is not recovery, rest, and relaxation.
“If momentum matters most, sitting still feels like laziness,” Steven Kotler writes in The Art of Impossible: A Peak Performance Primer. “And the more aligned with passion and purpose we become, the more ‘wasteful’ time off starts to feel.”
Yet, we need to prioritize recovery to avoid burnout.
“Burnout is identified by three symptoms: exhaustion, depression, and cynicism,” Steven notes.
“It is the by-product of repeated and prolonged stress. Not the result of working long hours, but rather the result of working long hours under specific conditions: high risk, a lack of sense of control, a misalignment of passion and purpose, and long and uncertain gaps between effort and reward.”
The bad news?
All of these conditions occur during our pursuit of high, hard goals.
Burnout is the nemesis of sustained peak performance. It results in a significant decline in cognitive function.
We must stay in front of the problem. Burnout costs us both motivation and momentum.
“In the short run, because chronic stress interferes with cognitive function, it’ll have you producing poor-quality work that needs to be redone,” Steven writes.
“In the long run, because burnout has permanent neurological effects on everything from problem-solving to memory to emotional regulation, it can completely derail [us],” Steven writes.
2: Which means we “absolutely have to get gritty about recovery,” he explains.
What’s essential to know?
Not all recovery strategies are the same.
“The main choices are passive and active,” Steven writes. “Passive recovery is TV and a beer—sound familiar?”
“Unfortunately, alcohol disrupts sleep, and TV keeps the brain active in an unusual way. Real recovery requires shifting brain waves into the alpha range,” Steven notes. “And while TV shuts down your higher cortical centers—which is good for recovery—those constantly shifting images overstimulate the visual system, pulling the brain right out of alpha and into beta–which is the brainwave signature of awake and alert.”
Active recovery is very different from passive recovery.
Active recovery “ensures that the brain stays off and the body can mend,” he notes. “By flushing stress hormones from the system and shifting brain waves into alpha (first), then delta (later), active recovery practices allow us to reset.”
3: Steven has three specific recommendations for active recovery:
First: Protect our sleep.
“Deep delta-wave sleep is critical for recovery and for learning—it’s when memory consolidation takes place,” he writes. “You need a dark room, cold temperatures, and no screens. Our cell phone’s glow is in the same frequency range as daylight, and this messes with the brain’s ability to shut down completely.”
One tactic to improve our sleep? Shut our cell phones and other screens about an hour before bedtime.
“Most people need seven to eight hours of sleep a night, but figure out what’s optimal for you,” Steven suggests, “then make sure you consistently get what you need.”
Second: Put an active recovery protocol into place.
“Body work, restorative yoga, Tai Chi, long walks in the woods, Epsom salt baths, saunas, and hot tub soaks are the traditional methods,” he notes. “My personal preference is an infrared sauna. I try to do three sessions a week, forty-five minutes each. In the sauna, I split my time between reading a book and practicing mindfulness. Saunas lower cortisol. When coupled to the stress reduction produced by mindfulness, this one-two punch hyper-accelerates recovery.”
Third and finally: Total resets matter.
“Everybody has a point of no return. If your work is consistently subpar and frustration levels are growing, it’s time to step away for a few days,” Steven observes. “For me, this is once every ten to twelve weeks. My go-to break is a solitary two-day ski trip. I’ll read books, slide down snow, and try to talk to no one. But that’s me. Figure out what’s you.”
More tomorrow!
______________________
Reflection: Do I prioritize recovery, rest, and relaxation?
Action: Reference the list of recovery activities. Be intentional about prioritizing recovery practices each and every day.
What did you think of this post?
