Performance under stress

[Thernlund]

Andrew Tuohy at Vuurwapen Blog gives a great little rundown concerning performance under stress.  Very thought provoking I think.

Performance Under Stress

Good stuff to think about.

Original post here --> http://vuurwapenblog.com/2012/04/08/performance-under-stress/


-T.

[Flash]

Performance under stress is one of those things that's hard to predict.  Some people you think would do well go to pieces or freeze and some people you think would go to pieces or freeze make it their finest hour.

The Army and other armed forces as well I'm sure, try to induce stress and get you used to it but the fact is that what they induce isn't stress, it's just annoying compared to what real stress is.

So, you prepare as best you can in all ways and, if and when the situation happens, you find out what you're made of.

I tend to shake a bit around 1/2 hour after it's over, but not during stressful events.

Flash

[Thernlund]

Yeah.  I tend to be calmer in dicey situations.  I'm not very excitable in unexpected situations (thank two teenage daughters for that conditioning). 

But I will fold pretty quickly after the adrenalin begins leaving.  Rebounding isn't a strong suit of mine.   


-T.

[Flash]

Yeah.  I tend to be calmer in dicey situations.  I'm not very excitable in unexpected situations (thank two teenage daughters for that conditioning). 
-T.

I love that comment.  I never had any kids, but my brother had 3 (1 girl) and one of his kids had 3 (2 girls) so I kind of know where you're coming from.

Flash

[azmick]

Drink an entire bottle of Ex-Lax and then head to the range to test yourself. 

[Nukefire]

Good video. Training training training.

[Black_water]

Stress is something different to everyone.  Things that some people don't even pay attention to, put others over the edge.

The thing that comes to my mind about stress has to do with the military.  When I went to basic back in '84, we arrived and were in reception (not even assigned to a basic training unit yet) and there were guys jumping off the stairs to try to injure themselves to get out, guys trying to kill themselves, guys going AWOL etc.  Heck, the only thing they did so far was get off the bus and they were already over their heads.

My favorite saying about the situation, and something that mirrors my belief about stress, comes from (at that is who I always heard it was from) Buzz Aldrin.  When asked this question:  You are in space, with one hour worth of oxygen and your spaceship is disabled, what will you do for that last hour?  Aldrin replied: I guess I will work on the spaceship.

[coelacanth]

He ( Mr. Tuohy ) has an interesting take on this.  Trying to break it down into manageable pieces is a good idea and allows you to 1) separate what you can control from what you can't. 2) Make such preparations as you are able before you need them.

I'm glad he listed luck as the first item.  There is a good reason for the old saying, "I'd rather be lucky than good.".   Some think you can make your own "luck" by being prepared for anything but the longer I live the less convinced I am that any of us are going to be able to do that.  Life has a way of zigging just when you thought it was going to zag.   Make no mistake - preparation is essential to any plan but if your crystal ball was operational you wouldn't need car insurance. 

Personally, I think my biggest shortcoming ( and the thing I also work the hardest on ) is situational awareness.  I know its a weak point for me but even at that I think i'm ahead of lots of folks.  Yesterday I saw a pretty young girl out for a jog and just before she began to run she made sure her earbuds were in place so she could hear the music.      Purposely blunting one of your senses and adding a distraction to your environment seems unwise to me.   It reduces your reaction time to something I find unacceptable.   My thought is that I'm already vulnerable to some degree and anything that increases that vulnerability is a bad idea. 

[Flash]

 Yesterday I saw a pretty young girl out for a jog and just before she began to run she made sure her earbuds were in place so she could hear the music.      Purposely blunting one of your senses and adding a distraction to your environment seems unwise to me.   It reduces your reaction time to something I find unacceptable.   My thought is that I'm already vulnerable to some degree and anything that increases that vulnerability is a bad idea.

This may be a female thing as I see it all the time around here.  I take five 1 mile walks a day and see female joggers and walkers and I'd guess that 95% of them have the earbuds in.

My own wife actually started doing that until I told her how stupid it was.  She hadn't realized what she was doing.

Sigh....

Flash

[theultimatehic]

The only ear buds i wear have built in mics so i can hear twigs breaking a hundred yards away  .. I think the ladies get comfortable in their area and forget that the creeps are hard to pick out until they are ready to be known.... Always stay on alert especially in the big city!!