Do you need to be more ‘reflexive’ in your thinking to navigate the pressures you are under?

I’m often asked what do you coach people on? Well, that’s an interesting question and one to a degree that I can never answer. Those asking think there is one clear answer that I can give them and say ‘oh I coach this – like I have the answers.

We all recognise as coaches that it is good to have a stock answer to explain to people what you do but with coaching its more the other way round. That said there are many niche areas of coaching that coaches specialise in, such as health & wellbeing, life coaching, business coaching, etc. I would argue that all coaching is holistic. If you are there to help people meet more of their potential then they need to be able to operate from an all-encompassing balanced foundation.

Everyone who comes to coaching is unique and holds a different set of potential, hurdles, values, beliefs, reality. This all creates their map of the world. Their maps have normally worked exceptionally well up to this point. However, we know that change is inevitable. The physical world and that of technology, business, societal values etc is constantly changing and at what appears to be an even faster rate. So, what happens when our maps become outdated and are no longer serving us to navigate the territory of our lives successfully?

Well, that’s where we come in as coaches. In a way we are the cartographers that help you create the new map of your life going forward. Often the old strategies we have created are no longer working. This can lead to feelings of frustration at best and overwhelm and burn out at worst. Everything that we have learnt and the tools we have had to navigate our lives up to this point have worked and when they become outdated or no longer effective, we are suddenly up against a wall.

To use another analogy, I often get asked for coaching when work and life have been punching people in the face for a while. They are courageous and stand there and take it for quite some time before beginning to weaken to the effects the constant bombardment that their environment and a stressful job throws at them.

Coaching can step in and help you to become really reflexive in your thinking. Just like a boxing coach teaching you to dodge, and sidestep the attacks. You can learn to go with the energy rather than it hitting you face on. Coaches are experts in offering tools and strategies and enabling you to create insights to develop your thinking. As coaches what we enable people to do is create reflexivity of the brain.

Reflexivity in the context of the brain refers to its ability to process and respond to stimuli in an automatic and involuntary manner, without requiring conscious thought or intention. This process involves neural pathways that bypass higher brain centres responsible for conscious processing and decision-making, allowing for rapid and efficient responses to environmental stimuli.

Reflexivity is essential for survival as it allows organisms to react quickly to potential threats or changes in the environment. The reflex arc is the neural pathway that typically involves sensory neurons, and motor neurons. This allows for the rapid transmission of sensory information to the central nervous system and the generation of an appropriate motor response.

In laymen’s terms the pathways of our thinking that we have created to manage daily have become automatic responses.

While many reflexes are hardwired and occur automatically, some reflexes can be modified or conditioned through experience, learning and coaching. For example, athletes may develop enhanced reflexes through training and practice.

In summary, the reflexivity of the brain refers to its capacity to generate rapid and involuntary responses to stimuli, which is crucial for survival and efficient interaction with the environment.

When we learn that we can create a different response to any experience, it starts to give us more choice, and in turn reduces the physical and emotional strain/drain on our minds and bodies. This can leave us with greater energy, and an almost ninja like feeling of how we are navigating the terrain.

If you are feeling overwhelmed, stressed, frustrated or are just ready to meet more of your potential then coaching will be the next step.

Dee Wilkinson MSc

Coach & Supervisor

n.b (always make sure you source a qualified coach that is a member of a recognised coaching body and receives regular coaching supervision – feel free to contact us for further information dee@southwestcoaching.co.uk)