Managing Your Stress Response with Dr. Greg Kelly

COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE PYRAMID

• Cognitive skills are usually treated as if they are independent things.
• Greg’s pyramid analogy suggests that some functions are foundational and others are higher up.
• You only get to higher functions when foundational functions are in place.
• For example, you can’t just jump to social cognition if the other levels of the pyramid have not been taken care of.
• The base of the pyramid is vigilance or alertness.
• Unless you are awake and alert you can’t get to memory.
• Good sleep is a requirement for alertness.
• The second level of the pyramid is the attention cognitive domain.
• This includes skills like focus, concentration, and the ability to not get distracted.
• We can’t get to executive functions if those aren’t in place.
• The next level is executive functions.
• This includes working memory, inhibition and cognitive flexibility.
• If you want to be a high performer, this is the group of skills that allows us to be power performers.
• For most people, the next level is social cognition.
• This includes our ability to be in tune with our own emotional responses — self-reflection.
• Another piece is our ability to pick up cues from body language.
• The last part is empathy or the ability to forecast what others may be thinking or feeling.

A FINITE RESOURCE

• When energy has been depleted — which can be easy when working in executive function all day — we have no energy left to tap into social cognition at the end of the day when we get back home to our loved ones.
• It is very clear in brain research that energy is a depletable resource over the course of a day.
• The other term used is ego depletion.
• For most people, when energy is lost, they are robbed of social cognition.
• A huge proportion of our energy for the brain is used for sensory input.
• Another huge part of energy consumption is neurotransmission.
• Mental energy can get depleted in certain areas of the brain while other areas might have plenty.
• The most common reason people do not empathize is because of the effort it requires.
• When there is not enough ability for effort, the easy thing is what the brain defaults to.
• Social cognition for many people is an area that takes more effort and energy.
• That is why people easily shut down if energy is already in short supply.

RECHARGE YOUR BRAIN

• Our brain is always trying to make more ATP, so all we need is a pause when we get home to replenish.
• It’s important to understand concepts and mental models so we don’t blame ourselves for our behaviors.
• Often what we need is an opportunity to recharge to give our loved ones a better version of ourselves.
• Give yourself the opportunity to rest after a long day.
• Recognize that being grouchy and irritable is a symptom that your mental energy needs to recharge.
• Recharging varies based on the world.
• Ritualistic behaviors from a stress perspective tend to be very recharging.
• Sometimes it’s just about quieting the outside world.
• Examples of recharging include meditation, playing an instrument, or reading a newspaper.
• It’s being able to do your own thing in an environment where there are no other demands for your time and attention.
• Give yourself permission to rest.
• You are not responsible for fixing everything that is broken all the time. You do not have to try to make everyone happy.
• Make time for yourself to replenish and recover so you have the energy reserves to be able to feed the pyramid.
• As a result, you can do your best, be your best, perform your best, and become the best version of yourself that you desire and deserve.

SHARE WITH US

• Take a screenshot of this episode, tag me on social media (@JimKwik), and share your greatest “aha!” moment from this episode with us.
• Find out more about the Neurohacker Collective blog, here.
• Get Greg’s book, Shape Shift, here.

For more on how to manage stress, check out these previous episodes:

• Episode 38: Eliminate Stress and Make Anxiety Disappear in Minutes
• Episode 96: Stress Less & Accomplish More with Emily Fletcher
• Episode 132: How to Overcome Stress & Relieve Pressure with Jay Shetty