This week’s exercise consists of three steps, one of which you are already familiar with, but there’s a twist. In Week 6, you learned to premeditate on adversity. Now, in addition to reminding yourself of things that can go wrong, you’ll set an intention to accept the things that go wrong. These intentions will help you cope with possible adversities and keep your calm.
Step 1. Visualize a task you are likely to encounter today that you sometimes find frustrating.
Step 2. Mentally rehearse “I want to do this activity, but also want to keep my cool by accepting what happens” or something similar.
Step 3. Finally, imagine yourself behaving calmly in the situation.
Before going to the gym, Ameerah might briefly envision a common annoyance she has previously encountered, such as the guy doing biceps curls in the squat rack. She can practice some at-hand phrases to help her gain control, like “I’m here to work out and, just as importantly, keep my cool,” and then mentally rehearse calmly asking the guy to do his curls elsewhere. Note that accepting something doesn’t mean being a pushover. Ameerah can take the same action as she otherwise would have, but without being upset in the process.
We suggest doing this exercise in the morning. Look at your day ahead, think about what parts of the day may be frustrating, and then try the exercise. Alternatively, you can practice this immediately before entering a possibly stressful situation. Note down the task you are likely to encounter.
To print a blank version of this prompt, please go to our web page for the book: theexperimentpublishing.com/?isbn=9781615195336.
Research has shown that mental rehearsal can activate pathways in the brain that are similar to actually performing the task.2 This mental exercise can both help manage stress and improve performance for a wide range of people, from health care trainees3 to athletes.4 By rehearsing adversities and your serene reaction to them, over time you will increase your likelihood of acting and behaving calmly.
How did your first week practicing the Discipline of Action go? Did you find yourself acting and feeling more calm in response to adversity? Take some time to write about what worked and what didn’t.
