How to reach peak performance in times of change

Blogpost by Stella Collins.

It’s not a cliché to say that ‘change is constant’. First the world was VUCA (Volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous) and now we’re told it’s BANI (Brittle, anxious, non-linear, incomprehensible). What next?

The every-day reality for most of us is that things are different this year and it’s becoming even harder to imagine what it will be like next year or in 5 years.

This uncertainty creates anxiety and has a direct impact on our brains, how we feel and how well we perform. Even when change is embraced, our brains still need to process and absorb new information as we learn to adapt to the change – it’s neuroplasticity in action.

You’ve probably experienced tiredness and confusion as your brains rewires to adjust to new circumstances. Neuroplasticity takes huge amounts of energy as your brain literally rewires itself. In my book Neuroscience for Learning and Development you will discover exactly how learning really happens in your brain.

Fortunately, there are simple things you can do to optimise your brains performance during change.

Will I repeat or retreat?

The first thing to recognise is that your brain is both a reward seeker and a threat detector at the same time.  Is change something that raises your curiosity, or does it create a sense of fear? Hidden deep in your brain is your nucleus accumbens which does a juggling act with dopamine (a motivation neurotransmitter).  What’s interesting is that when you interpret change as negative dopamine floods into the rear of your nucleus accumbens, you feel fear and want to retreat from the danger. When you are more open to change the dopamine hits at the front of the nucleus accumbens, you feel curious, which is rewarding, and you are motivated to repeat the experience. You can’t consciously control where your neurotransmitters flow, but you can attempt to adjust your own perception of change and balance the retreat/repeat seesaw. Simply asking yourself ‘What is my reaction to this change?’  is the first step because it directs blood back to your more rational pre-frontal cortex, giving you the opportunity to think more clearly.

Take a birds eye view: reduce the uncertainty

When things change, we tend to focus on what’s new, which can induce concern and uncertainty because we haven’t learned to deal with the new situation - yet. However, it’s rare that everything changes, so look more broadly and pay attention to what remains the same. Identify what you can already do and where you need to learn something new – the gap may not be as big as you first thought.  Ask questions and seek answers to inform yourself better. Look at what you can do today to help you take the next steps and remain aware that change requires you to learn, which takes time, effort and persistence but you will get there. Look back on previous changes you survived; what helped that you can use now?

These tactics reduce the uncertainty and shift the balance of the juggled dopamine to the front of your nucleus accumbens, leaving you feeling curious and open to learning.

Feed your brain

Healthy eating isn’t just about having a fit body but also about putting your brain into tip-top condition.  Our brains are energy hungry and consume 20% of our body’s energy resources. Strong evidence shows that a healthy diet leads to a healthy microbiome – the ecosystem of microorganisms that populate and regulate our body. A flourishing microbiome improves our cognitive function, our emotional state and hence our performance. When you’re facing change adapt your diet to include less processed food, more fermented foods like yogurt and kimchi and more fibre-rich foods like whole grains, nuts and vegetables. The good news is that the really tasty things like dark chocolate, berries and olive oil are great for improving your microbiome.

Grow more brain cells

Scientists used to think the number of brain cells was fixed and decreased with age. Fortunately, modern research shows that we can grow new brain cells and particularly those in our hippocampus – the seat of memory. When you change you learn; and when you learn you build new memories. One way to improve your memory is to do more aerobic exercise because it stimulates production of ‘brain derived neurotropic factor’ which is like fertiliser for brain cells.  So get out and run to the park or join that swimming class to improve your brain and body.

Your mum was right – get more sleep

You know you feel better after a good night’s sleep – you have more energy and can think more clearly. But maybe you don’t know why it’s useful when you’re experiencing change – it’s because you’re learning. When you sleep there are two specific processes that help you learn to adapt to change. During deep sleep your brain consolidates new memories from your experiences from the day – information moves from your hippocampus, where it was held temporarily, to your long-term memory stores. The hippocampus is refreshed ready to take on new information the next day. If you miss your deep sleep you will struggle to remember what you did the day before – as any new parent will tell you.

Learning also requires practice, and your brain very kindly helps by doing extra practice whilst you dream. When you dream your body is physically paralysed to keep you safe, but your brain is busy rehearsing, practicing and reinforcing the new connections you made in the day. If you’ve ever had a dream where you need to run but you can’t, you’ve experienced this phenomenon.

Reach your full potential!

If your teams struggle or feel stressed by the changes that they face then offer them a new approach from their brains perspective. An engaging and interactive session with Stella will provide insights, tools and the energy to optimise their performance and ensure you all face inevitable change with resilience, curiosity and openness.

Reach your full potential with peak performance!