Don’t put the cart before the horse: using critical thinking in high-pressure situations.

When I was posed the question “What are the best ways to use critical thinking in high-pressure situations?” I immediately asked myself “are people even really able to think critically in high-pressure situations?”

I did some research and found that critical thinking occurs in the prefrontal cortex – the home of higher order thinking and executive functioning such as problem solving, decision-making, self-control, reasoning, motivation, planning and more.

Unfortunately, in high-pressure situations, the amygdala (which generates your fight, flight or freeze response) rather than the prefrontal cortex, kicks into gear. The amygdala is an ancient part of our ‘reptilian brain’ which determines how we act in high-pressure situations. The amygdala will often overpower the logical prefrontal cortex and send you into a panicked state - not ideal for solving problems or making good decisions.

This means that if we want to use critical thinking to evaluate or solve a problem in a high-pressure situation, the first step is to calm yourself and reset your nervous system so that your executive functioning in the prefrontal cortex can be switched on.

Resetting your nervous system is easier than you think and is essential if you want to tap into your prefrontal cortex to think critically about the situation.

Try these breathing techniques:
⭐ Square/box breathing (breathe in for 4, hold for 4, out for 4, hold for 4)
⭐ Single nostril breathing (https://lnkd.in/g3JAzQER)
⭐Take two sharp inhales followed by one long, slow exhale.

Alternatively, run your wrists under cold water or if you have time, try listening to a guided meditation, doing some yoga or even just running up a few flights of stairs.

Once your nervous system has reset, your prefrontal cortex will be ready to go and your critical thinking can begin!

What tools do you use to reset your nervous system in high-pressure situations?

The below post has some great tips on how to think critically in high-pressure situations.*
*Once you've reset your nervous system and turned on your prefrontal cortex!