Wellness and the Coach

The Neurology of Wellness

The latest advancements in neuroplasticity and neuro-leadership have shown us that it is possible to shift your cognitive capacity and thought patterns in order to build resilience, increase your focus and be at your best.

Let’s begin by looking at the battle between the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and the limbic system. Your PFC sits in your brain’s frontal lobe and is responsible for complex reasoning, such as problem solving, memory, learning and decision-making. These are all critical functions for coaches.

Your limbic system is the complex web of structures right in the middle of the brain across both hemispheres. The limbic system is the center of your emotional responses. When this powerful structure is activated (e.g., when you’re stressed, frustrated or anxious), it gets very loud, very quickly. This absorbs all your cognitive energy and leaves next to nothing for the poor old PFC. As a result, decision-making and situational awareness are significantly compromised. These are often the times when we say something that we shouldn’t or misunderstand what is happening around us. Think of that angry email or text message sent in the heat of the moment.

If we want to be at our best, we need to make sure that we’re giving the PFC the clear air and breathing space that it needs to operate at a consistently high level.

You can take the following four steps on a daily basis to achieve this. These facilitate your own wellness, but you can share them with clients to support them, as well.

1. Do the hard things first. Your PFC tires easily throughout the day, so if you have an important, complex or difficult task on your agenda, attempt to complete it early when you are well-rested with a fully functioning PFC. This is particularly true when you’re having challenging conversations and making complex decisions. It’s also why the old recommendation to ”sleep on it” remains relevant.

2. Focus on one thing at a time. Multitasking is a sure way to scramble your PFC, but it’s also how most of us manage our days. The human brain works best when it’s dedicated to a single task with laser-beam focus. You can’t achieve this when the phone is constantly ringing, you’re distracted by social media and you have one eye on your inbox. To unlock your cognitive potential, allocate sufficient time and space to important tasks, get out of the traffic and see how much sharper your thinking becomes.

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