Week 6: Practice
Pull out your coping techniques! Today is the day we preserve the space to fine-tune the tools we have identified to combat our triggers. Now before you brush off the notion of practicing, remember: muscle memory is crucial for executing anything effectively, and in order to do that, you need to have performed the task several times over. Elementary schools go through the annoyance of endless fire drills because, as simple as the task of leaving a building might be, when a real threat of danger is present, the brain gets hijacked by the primal section called the amygdala. While this was helpful when we were being hunted by saber tooth tigers, the amygdala nowadays unintentionally puts us in harm’s way. It’s only when you have practiced the safest exit route repeatedly that you are able to spring into action without any decisions needing to be made in that moment.
The best way to practice is to run drills. But here is the first step: take out your calendar! Markdown exactly when you are going to practice. SO whether it’s making a phone call to an accountability buddy or setting aside 5 minutes to role-play, mark it on your calendar. Commit to the process. Share in the comments what you have committed to on your calendar and let the practicing begin!
Wing Woman 