3 tips for recognising warning signs
Peak performers love working hard - but they must also heed warning signs. Different people get different symptoms when events get out of control. They may get headaches, forget appointments, get acne, neglect their family, feel exhausted or whatever. Here are three suggestions for learning from such signals.
* You can recognise the warning signs.
Try tackling the later exercise on this theme. Describe what for you are the potential warning signs. Sometimes you will know the reasons why, sometimes you won’t, but we will explore that later.
“Every Friday night I got a splitting headache in my left temple,” said one person. “Despite working hard during the week - and feeling tired - I only get the headache when driving home on Friday. Visiting a chiropractor to deal with another problem, I asked about the headaches. She found a tight nerve in my right shoulder, which was where the pressure was located. She taught me how to massage the muscle, which eased the stress, but also taught me to recognise the symptoms earlier. I have always been ‘duty driven’. Sometimes it feels like I am responsible for taking care of my family, my team and my mother. Without getting into ‘fluffy’ territory, I decided to take some time for myself and not carry the world on my shoulders. That meant saying ‘Yes,’ to some things and ‘No’ to others. Now I have been free from headaches for the past 2 years.”
So what are your symptoms? Try completing the following sentence.
The warning signs I get are:
*
*
*
* You can understand the reasons behind the warning signs.
The symptoms can provide a wake-up call. After clarifying your warning signs, describe what may lie behind the symptoms. You may be working hard with little time for recovery; be working on the wrong project; be surrounded by negative people or whatever. Sometimes the reason is obvious, sometimes it is more difficult to find.
One footballer with a good disciplinary record got himself sent off twice in a month. Nobody could understand why. He was always the first to training, the last to leave and would do anything for the team. But the answer lay in front of our eyes. Over the past month he had been asked to play out of position. At first it seemed to work, but he actually felt extremely uncomfortable.
“My head is in a whirl, because I strain to remember the manager’s instructions,” he said. “That isn’t the case when I’m playing in my natural position - because I don’t have to think and I enjoy the game. Now I get confused trying to remember the instructions, which leads to me making mistakes and getting upset with the referee. I’m counting the games to returning to my best position.”
The footballer’s problem was quite solvable - but the manager blamed himself for not spotting it earlier. Because the player always did his best, the manager took him for granted. The player served his suspension and, for the good of the team, volunteered to play one more game ‘out of position’. Strangely, because he now recognised what upset him, he had a storming game - but was grateful to return to his natural role on the field.
What do you think are the causes of your symptoms? Try completing the following sentence.
The reasons that may lie behind the warning signs could be:
*
*
*
* You can learn from the warning signs and take more care of yourself in the future.
Prevention is better than cure - so what can you do to learn from the warning signs? One person said.
“My wake-up call came after getting prosecuted for speeding twice in 5 minutes. Suddenly I had 6 points on my licence. There was no point in arguing that previously the cameras had never been turned-on. I was responsible and accepted the consequences. So I bought a ‘Road Angel’, stuck to the speed limit and felt much better. Now I see the prosecution has a blessing. Previously I had been addicted to speeding at over 80 on the motorway. Fortunately I had never hurt myself or, worse still, maimed other people. The wake-up call taught me to be more considerate towards myself and other people.”
How can you look after yourself in the future? Try completing the following sentence.
The things I can do to take more care of myself in the future are:
*
*
*
Peak performers work hard, but they also learn from setbacks. Vulnerability can be a great teacher - providing we take heed from the lessons contained in the warning signs.
Try tackling the later exercise on this theme. Describe what for you are the potential warning signs. Sometimes you will know the reasons why, sometimes you won’t, but we will explore that later.
“Every Friday night I got a splitting headache in my left temple,” said one person. “Despite working hard during the week - and feeling tired - I only get the headache when driving home on Friday. Visiting a chiropractor to deal with another problem, I asked about the headaches. She found a tight nerve in my right shoulder, which was where the pressure was located. She taught me how to massage the muscle, which eased the stress, but also taught me to recognise the symptoms earlier. I have always been ‘duty driven’. Sometimes it feels like I am responsible for taking care of my family, my team and my mother. Without getting into ‘fluffy’ territory, I decided to take some time for myself and not carry the world on my shoulders. That meant saying ‘Yes,’ to some things and ‘No’ to others. Now I have been free from headaches for the past 2 years.”
So what are your symptoms? Try completing the following sentence.
The warning signs I get are:
*
*
*
* You can understand the reasons behind the warning signs.
The symptoms can provide a wake-up call. After clarifying your warning signs, describe what may lie behind the symptoms. You may be working hard with little time for recovery; be working on the wrong project; be surrounded by negative people or whatever. Sometimes the reason is obvious, sometimes it is more difficult to find.
One footballer with a good disciplinary record got himself sent off twice in a month. Nobody could understand why. He was always the first to training, the last to leave and would do anything for the team. But the answer lay in front of our eyes. Over the past month he had been asked to play out of position. At first it seemed to work, but he actually felt extremely uncomfortable.
“My head is in a whirl, because I strain to remember the manager’s instructions,” he said. “That isn’t the case when I’m playing in my natural position - because I don’t have to think and I enjoy the game. Now I get confused trying to remember the instructions, which leads to me making mistakes and getting upset with the referee. I’m counting the games to returning to my best position.”
The footballer’s problem was quite solvable - but the manager blamed himself for not spotting it earlier. Because the player always did his best, the manager took him for granted. The player served his suspension and, for the good of the team, volunteered to play one more game ‘out of position’. Strangely, because he now recognised what upset him, he had a storming game - but was grateful to return to his natural role on the field.
What do you think are the causes of your symptoms? Try completing the following sentence.
The reasons that may lie behind the warning signs could be:
*
*
*
* You can learn from the warning signs and take more care of yourself in the future.
Prevention is better than cure - so what can you do to learn from the warning signs? One person said.
“My wake-up call came after getting prosecuted for speeding twice in 5 minutes. Suddenly I had 6 points on my licence. There was no point in arguing that previously the cameras had never been turned-on. I was responsible and accepted the consequences. So I bought a ‘Road Angel’, stuck to the speed limit and felt much better. Now I see the prosecution has a blessing. Previously I had been addicted to speeding at over 80 on the motorway. Fortunately I had never hurt myself or, worse still, maimed other people. The wake-up call taught me to be more considerate towards myself and other people.”
How can you look after yourself in the future? Try completing the following sentence.
The things I can do to take more care of myself in the future are:
*
*
*
Peak performers work hard, but they also learn from setbacks. Vulnerability can be a great teacher - providing we take heed from the lessons contained in the warning signs.
posted by Mike Pegg at
14:15
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