8 takeaways from psychologist Elaine Fox’s 'Switchcraft'

Introduce rituals – a morning run, a weekly call with a friend, daily reading time – into your life. Small rituals help us navigate uncertainty, by giving us a sense of control and predictability even when things around us are changing. (Representational image: David Suarez via Unsplash)

Elaine Fox, a psychologist and performance coach who works with athletes, military leaders, and professionals from the world of business, has written the book Switchcraft to argue that people with “an agile mind” can thrive in any situation. They have what it takes to face uncertainty. We bring you eight takeaways from this book, which promises to guide you in “harnessing the power of mental agility to transform your life”.

1. Stay flexible in your approach.

This book suggests that failure is not necessarily due to lack of persistence. Fox writes, “You need to watch out for the creep of what we can call ‘mental arthritis’ in sticking relentlessly to plans that are not working… I simply mean inflexibility in being able to act or think in a way that is most appropriate for the situation.” She advocates trying out different approaches and solutions, separating our ego from our intellect, and revising our opinions based on new evidence that suggests we were wrong. Fox warns that rigidity can be alluring as we are not required to challenge ourselves but it does not help if we want to “optimise our performance”.

2. Be patient as you transition.

Fox makes a distinction between change – “external events that happen all through our lives” – and transition, which is “the subtle internal reorientation and self-definition that is necessary in order to deal well with changes”. The latter should not be rushed. We have to let go of the old reality, witness “the bewilderment and confusion” during our in-between phase, and gradually embrace the new reality. Fox points out that transition is a process rather than an event, so we must respect our own pace. It is not advisable to skip grieving. She writes, “An internal shift in identity is essential – you can only adapt to new circumstances by changing inside”. This means having realistic expectations of ourselves during the transition.

3. Introduce rituals in your life.

Since the brain is an “uncertainty detector”, we tend to feel more relaxed in a “controllable situation” and more vigilant or anxious when there is greater uncertainty. Based on this reasoning, Fox recommends introducing some rituals – a morning run, a weekly call with a friend, daily reading time, a yoga session, music time – in our lives to let the brain “make some more stable predictions”. According to her, small rituals can have a huge impact in helping us navigate uncertainty. As these activities become a part of our routine, they give us a sense of control and predictability even when other changes take place in our environment.

4. Examine your interpretations.

Fox reminds us of studies which show that people who thrive “tend not to remember much of the negative stuff that has happened to them”. According to her, we can foster “more flexible connections” in our brain by “making tiny adjustments” in how we interpret events. If there are incidents that evoke a negative reaction in us, we can look for “other equally plausible explanations” instead of sticking to “well-worn interpretations”. Training our mind can help us become less rigid in our thinking, explore possibilities, and change how we act.

5. Manage negative thoughts.

Fox recognizes that “negative biases” can alert us to potential danger, so it is unwise to think that “negative thoughts” will necessarily lead to anxiety and depression and must therefore be avoided at all costs. However, she does talk about learning to manage negative thoughts, and “working out when they are useful and when they aren’t”. For instance, if a belief that we hold strikes us as negative, we can check whether we are making broad generalizations and using “danger words” such as “always” and “never”, if we are assuming that we know what others are thinking, and whether we are wallowing in victimhood or piling blame on others.

6. Get out of your head.

Fox writes, “People have all sorts of weird and wonderful beliefs that bear little relation to what’s really going on. Falling into the trap of believing that your negative thoughts are telling you the unadulterated truth can lead to untold misery.” Unfortunately, this is how many us behave, thinking that others are out to make our lives miserable. We do not realize that it is, in fact, our mind that is our biggest enemy. We take our thoughts to be “actual descriptions of reality” because we equate personal experience with an objective, fixed truth.

7. Care for yourself and others.

In wanting to adapt quickly, we can end up dismissing other people’s worries without even fully listening to them. Those who are in positions of authority or leadership cannot afford to do this if they want their team members to respect and trust them. Fox writes, “Consider mentoring someone else who seems a bit stuck and think about how you can help them to be more open-minded and adaptable.” She suggests that leaders who see themselves as “very adaptable” should not forget the fact that “change always takes some toll” so it helps to reach out to a support system made up of friends, colleagues, mentors and others to cope with it.

8. Protect your time to work on cherished goals.

It is difficult to say no because we do not want to appear rude or be disliked, but, at the same time, we resent being “overloaded”. Fox writes, “When someone asks you to do something, don’t answer right away without thinking. Say you will get back to them, and give yourself some space to think about whether that request will take up too much time and whether it fits with your goals.” Additionally, she recommends setting boundaries. This could mean fixing a weekly slot with a specified time limit to speak with a colleague who needs personalized attention. We can offer support, while ensuring that we get to do our own work comfortably.

Switchcraft was published in 2022 by Hodder & Stoughton.