The US Navy SEAL Team is known as one of the preeminent military units in the world. Their training is grueling and many otherwise competent candidates are unable to deal with the stress that accompanies the training and testing involved. In fact, for a long time, the success rate of candidates achieving SEAL status was a mere twenty-five percent. Of every four candidates, three failed.
The commanders wondered why that rate stayed roughly the same over a time when they were recruiting stronger and smarter candidates. They brought in some psychologists who instituted an additional training regime that purported to increase the candidates abilities to deal with stressful situations. The training they used is deceptively simple. The best thing is that you can use the same methods in your own life to improve your ability to deal with stress.
1. Goal Achievement
The majority of my clients come to me because they want change, but don’t know how to accomplish it. Our first discussion is usually about setting long, medium and short term goals. The SEAL training is similar. Where it diverges is in training the candidate to create “microgoals” that last just a matter of minutes. For example, as part of Hell Week (the final week of training and testing), the candidates are entitled to four hours of sleep…during the entire week. One example of a microgoal is when a sailor is sitting in the dining room and he sets the microgoal to “stay awake for the next five minutes.” Once that goal has been achieved, he may set the goal to finish his meal in the next two minutes. Once that goal is accomplished…you get the picture. The whole idea of setting these microgoals is to keep the mind completely on task. Similarly, you can set microgoals to keep your momentum moving forward.
2. Mental Rehearsal
What I like to call “Visualization” on steroids. One of the main tests that candidates fail is the pool test. It is a fairly straightforward test; the candidate is given a scuba tank and told to stay under water for 20 minutes. However, during these 20 minutes the sailor is constantly harassed by others that knot up the air hoses, yank off the mask, disconnect tubes, and generally do everything they can to make the candidate give up. For a long time three out of four people did.
That was before Mental Rehearsal entered the scene. Now the sailors plan for the test by visualizing what they will do when someone disconnects an air hose, or pulls off their mask, etc. By working through the potential problems and preparing useful responses, the anxiety disappears, and the candidate can pass the test. Likewise, you can mentally rehearse for difficulties in your transition, and create effective responses.
3. Self-talk
What I used to refer to as “gobbledygook,” but now respect. The training relies on the fact that on average every human has three to seven hundred words going through the mind every minute. If the substance of those words is negative (such as “can’t,” “won’t,” “fail,” or “worthless”) then the mind is setting itself up in negativity.
On the flip side, if the words are positive in nature (such as “can,” “will,” or “succeed”) there becomes a changed outlook that even the most dire straits hold promise. It may be a catchy song lyric, but there is truth to the concept that you have to “accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative.”
For the SEAL candidates, they are taught to think positively about their circumstances. A simple example is the mantra “I can do this because I’ve trained for it.”
4. Arousal Control
By this they do not mean what you are thinking. It’s more mundane than that. Arousal control revolves around breathing exercises and “being in the moment.” As an example, I want you to right now practice this technique: breathe in for four seconds, and exhale for four seconds. Continue doing so for at least a minute. This breathing exercise gives your brain and body some well needed oxygen, and calms your mind. Read my next blog entry to see why this is one of the most effective tools in combating stress and achieving your goals.
Applying these four mental abilities to SEAL training increased the passage rate from 25% to 33%. If it works this well in the most difficult setting of SEAL training, imagine what it could do for you. A certified coach can help you implement this type of training in your own daily practice.
Contact me for complimentary 30 minute session to explore whether your time of transition is near!
Photo credit: <a href=”https://www.flickr.com/photos/usnavy/7131711053/”>Official U.S. Navy Imagery</a> / <a href=”http://foter.com/”>Foter</a> / <a href=”http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/”>CC BY</a>