Spotlight on stamina
Have you ever come across the phrase about envisioning life (and all its to-do’s, projects, and pressures) as a marathon, not a sprint?
It’s born from all the work on grit and perseverance, and what helps people keep at their goals. It posits that to do what we want (and have) to, a long-haul energy can be more helpful than that of a 100-metre race.
I’m reminded of this having just come back from supporting and cheerleading my kids through a marathon of its own kind – an away dance competition that takes place over several days. On the third straight day, my tween danced in four performances, from morning until night.
That’s right: three days, each 14 hours long. And while a dancer’s job is to bring their courage, team spirit, and artistry, the job of parents and chosen families is to feed, encourage, and keep them (and ourselves) going.
Disclaimer: my kids are keen. We don’t push them to do this. It’s from them. They love it. (They LOVE it.) I haven’t quite found comfort in the “dance mom” identity; instead, they’re driving this bus and I’m along for the awe-inspiring ride.
Now, while they adore dancing, and we love their love of dance – no one loves these too-long, too-full days. After all, for the dancers, and their carers, these dance comps are full of emotional labour, sensory overload, and physical endurance. It knocks the stuffing out of them, and us.
So, how did we do it? And how do any learners – any humans – make it through these long-distance days without it feeling like an uncomfortable dash?
#1: A reconsideration of rest
Early wake-ups, awkward timings, back-to-back events – we had all these and more working against us. In this packed-full weekend, rest in the form of naps or lounging wasn’t an option.
We were sharing a very small room, self-catering, costumes and snacks taking up most of the available space. So this wasn’t like a “weekend away,” we were really in it, and there were no real opportunities to retreat.
What we did, and what I recommend to students of all ages and pursuits, is to reconsider and reconceptualize “rest.”
Sometimes rest is taken to mean a total peacing-out. Those times are delicious, no arguments from me. The trouble is, they’re often infrequent – a discussion for another issue, perhaps :).
So with a packed weekend, and endurance needed most of all, how did we rest? We took it in the form of micro-bursts. And really rethought what it is we mean by rest.
First, I put my legs up the wall. I found a hotel nook, popped off my shoes, and lay there for a few minutes. It was heavenly after hours (and hours) of being awake and “on.”
I also did a grounding body-scan. I’m a big fan of Insight Timer – it’s free, it’s got options galore, and I make use of their body scans weekly. You might choose to do the same, or something similar, like a yoga nidra or non-sleep deep rest break. I find being guided so helpful, in part to drown out the other noises around me. I pop in headphones, I go for whatever time window I have, I extend my legs up whatever surface, and then drift into a facilitated scan.
I also turned to lots (and LOTS) of water, and plenty of nourishing food. This took a little bit of planning, but nutrient-dense, power-packing meals were part of my rest. No driving around, here and there, searching the town for healthy-ish options. We got a rotisserie chicken ahead of time, veggies and hummus, raw nuts, apples… you get the picture.
Students are sometimes surprised when I mention food and water as part of learning strategy coaching sessions, but I’ve had too many 1:1s with students who describe sleeplessness yet have a Red Bull in hand, who speak about relentless underlying worry and who live off of coffee and candy. I’m not claiming causation, but I do notice correlation.
We also sought out laughter in community. For sure, there were times (several of them) when we needed to step back, but a good, gut-busting laugh is also part of what helped us through.
Which is all to say: rest isn’t just one thing. And when it’s hard to take a siesta or full-afternoon nature walk, resisting an all-or-nothing view of rest is crucial. We might not have all the time, all our tools, or all the hoped-for options, but a few minutes inverted, prepping restorative foods, and giggling with feel-good friends directly support and fuel our stamina for the long game – be it a long assignment, or long dance comp weekend.
What’s all this about? It’s like an uncorporate cost-benefit analysis. Sometimes we have to work, even if we don’t want to. But often we just sit there and “take a break” by way of scrolling. This won’t help re-energize. And what we need is more energy if we have a deadline.
What’s interesting is that often movement and other practices are considered “subtractive” – as though they take away from our available time. But I firmly believe the opposite. By putting a little more gas in the tank, we can become much more efficient and productive. We get time back.
And if we don’t have to work in this moment, but will have to the next day, then it’s important we set ourselves up for a more energized tomorrow. We can do that by tending thoughtfully to this evening and how we’re giving back to ourselves. Binge-watching, though fun, in this instance of low stamina and high work volume isn’t going to be very helpful. So, tonight’s activities are focused on recuperation to be able to get back to it the next day.
Am I all for work-work-work? Nope.
Am I a productivity-pusher? Nope.
But I’m also a realist, and there are deadlines, and we do have to meet them sometimes. So my work is to help learners, and all humans, feel less alone and more equipped in those very tight times.
#2: Caring for our cognitive loads
On the heels of the last competitive dance event, I attended researchED, all things science of learning. These semi-annual-ish gatherings welcome educators from around the world who are deeply data-informed.
And what are so many of them talking about this year? Cognitive load theory (Sweller, 1998).
What’s that? I really love Scott Young’s explanatory illustration above.
It’s ultimately how to declutter what a student encounters in a lesson, or when learning anything, in order to get it into long-term memory via working memory (formerly “short-term” memory).
What I find most compelling about this is the acknowledgement that sometimes there’s so much, too much, going on for us to learn well. Any of us – young in years or not, taught formally or self-directed.
And why is that so meaningful to me? Because my life is spent supporting this very “decluttering” for learners of all ages and stages. It’s about creating pathways of ease, reducing decision fatigue, finding the bridges into the thing we’re trying to learn.
Still, what’s so riveting about this? Why put it in this month’s newsletter? Why connect it with the swirling demands of dance comps? Because if you look up “cognitive load” and how to reduce what’s coming at us, you’ll find encouragement for less toggling of our attention, less stimuli, and less multi-tasking.
Which has me thinking: if it’s good for students, it’s good for parents and professionals too.
We get tuckered out in body, spirit, and mind when we’ve got a lot on the go. This, in turn, actually interferes with our capacity to keep going. You can think of this like a mini- or micro-burnout.
When there’s too much info, too many choices, too much sensory input, too much learning all at once, we tune out. We tap out.
So when we think about stamina and how to keep going, be it in an event we’re supporting our kids through, or our own personal and professional days, let’s assess our cognitive load. Let’s assess what our brains are taking in, making sense of storing, or triaging out.
Streamlining what we’re taking in can help us with all we’re taking on.
Wishing you kind learning (and living).
With care,
Deena