3 muscles mentally-fit leaders use to manage anxiety

“You?can't control what happens in life, you control how you respond to it.”?Fact! But try telling that to an anxious mind filled with worry. It won't work.?

37% of leaders reported experiencing anxiety in 2020, that number has increased by 25% globally according to the World Health Organization.

None of us want to experience anxiety. We all prefer to have a positive mindset but how can we adopt one that sustains all the pressure of today’s world? You can only tell yourself or your team to “be positive” when you are full of worry for so long before you create a toxic positivity?environment .?That's a lot of pressure on someone secretly dealing with anxiety.

We are not solving the right problem. Anxiety, burnout and stress are symptoms of larger issues. Without addressing the root causes we are not equipped to deal with the next crisis.?

When I decided to climb the Toronto CN Tower in 2018 I trained my body rigorously to build strong enough muscles to do the challenge. 1,776 stairs in 22 minutes.?Still very proud of that record! Weeks later when the elevator to the London tube wasn't working I found myself carrying a 23KG suitcase and carry-on up multiple sets of stairs, with relative ease. A non-anticipated problem surfaced, and with enough muscle strength, I managed without negatively impacting my European trip.

Build physical muscles, have a strong body.?We all get that concept.

Build mental muscles, have a strong mind.?How did that land?

Ok, what if I say:

Catch your saboteurs. Find your inner leader. Rewire your brain.?Stay with me???

These, are in fact the characteristics of the 3 mental muscles we can build to be mentally-fit. The ability to control the mind comes from building the core muscles that give us the mental strength to act in the face of an onslaught of negative thoughts and behaviours. These muscles are called:?Saboteur Interceptor, Sage, Self-Command.?

Positive Intelligence (PQ) is a term coined by Stanford Lecturer Shirzad Chamine. It measures?the percentage of time your mind is serving you as opposed to sabotaging you. As Shirzad puts it: while your IQ and EQ (emotional intelligence) contribute to your maximum potential, it is your PQ that determines how much of that potential you actually achieve.?He talks more about this in his NYT best-selling?book , Positive Intelligence: Why Only 20% of Teams and Individuals Achieve Their True Potential And How You Can Achieve Yours.

When my clients work on these 3 muscles to build their mental-fitness, they do so over a 6-weeks period and they walk away with the tools to manage the pressures of life and business with more ease and flow.

Saboteur Interceptor Muscle: Saboteurs are the voices in your head that generate negative emotions in the way you handle life’s everyday challenges. There are 10 of them. (If you want to do the saboteur assessment email me and I'll send it to you: [email protected]). These saboteurs represent automated patterns in your mind for how to think, feel, and respond. They cause all of your stress, anxiety, self-doubt, frustration, restlessness, and unhappiness. They sabotage your performance, wellbeing, and relationships. PQ or Mental fitness gives you the ability to discredit the false messages of your saboteurs, intercept them and disarm them.?

You can lift a heavy box with strong leg quads and you can intercept your controller saboteur with a 75+ PQ score. In both scenarios you have to build the muscle.?

Sage Muscle: the Sage muscle reveals the true you. The part of you that handles challenges with a clear and calm mind, and positive emotions. It delivers peak performance with relative ease through the 5 primary powers of Empathize, Explore, Innovate, Navigate, and Activate which are built by doing PQ reps. Your Sage has great access to clarity and insight. Once you’ve activated your Sage brain, you’ll be able to move through life's problems with ease. In most clients who I've put through this program, what I see surface more than anything else, in the sage muscle group, is a deep sense of self-confidence.

Self-Command Muscle: this is the mental muscle that silences whichever Saboteur is derailing you, faster and easier. You can build strength in the part of your brain that dissipates self-doubt, and recover from disappointments with greater speed than you have ever known. Wouldn't you want to spend less time in anger, regret or indecision? You can build this muscle with the 10-second PQ Reps that rewire the brain through neuroplasticity and enable you to quiet the region where your Saboteurs live, and activate the region where your Sage lives.

How you carry yourself, the behaviours you exude, all significantly impact the business you run, the teams you lead and your loved ones!?Not to mention your reputation. But you won't notice your impact if you're dealing with anxiety, stress and burnout –?they are busy fueling your blind spots. Get ahead of the issue by building your mental fitness.

Email me at [email protected] and I'll send you a complimentary assessment to discover your top 3 saboteurs.