Dr. Derek Suite - The Suite Spot
Synthesizing Science and Soul for High Performance
Hosted by Dr. Derek H. Suite, The Suite Spot blends neuroscience, psychology, and ancient wisdom to unlock elite mental skills, resilience, and momentum. Designed for athletes, executives, and high achievers, each episode delivers practical strategies, evidence-based insights, and affirmations to elevate your mind, body, and spirit.
New episodes daily!
Dr. Derek Suite - The Suite Spot
🚀 Beyond the Map: 1/7 Leaping Over the Edge of Certainty #MakingMovesMonday
🚀 Beyond the Map: 1/7 Leaping Into the Edge of Certainty #MakingMovesMonday
Sometimes the road ends before the journey does. That’s where the real adventure begins.
In this episode of Beyond the Map, we leap right into the edge of certainty and stare out over the unknown 🌊.
Together, we explore how to see the uncharted not as a threat, but as an invitation.
We’ll talk about reframing what we’re facing, finding small anchors that keep us grounded, and using curiosity as the compass that points us forward ðŸ§.
We’ll walk through how history’s boldest movers navigated unmarked paths, why our first reaction is often to avoid or over-control what we can’t predict, and how mindfulness can keep us steady when the ground feels unsteady.
We’ll remind ourselves that everyone — no matter how confident they seem — meets uncertainty sooner or later, and that the key isn’t to wait for clarity, but to take one small step while the fog is still thick.
🎧 Hit play and let’s chart this path together Beyond the Map.
Please share this episode, subscribe, and STAY AMAZING! ✨
#BeyondTheMap #MakingMovesMonday #LeapIntoTheUnknown #NavigateTheEdge #ScienceSoulSuccess #StayAmazing
Greetings and welcome. Welcome back to the Sweet Spot where science meets soul. Today's Making Moves Monday, and I greet you with all of the energy, power and inspiration you need to have the best week of your life. My name is Dr Derek Sweet. I'm a board-certified psychiatrist. My background is in sports, science and high performance.
Speaker 1:This week, we are going to be tackling a powerful topic, and that topic is facing the unknown topic, and that topic is facing the unknown. Look, as you know, all of evolution was about facing the unknown. Our ancestors had to face darkness, they had to face the wild and they had to face the uncertain and the unknown. And even though, fast forward, we no longer live in the wilderness and the wild, we no longer have to hunt for our food and we no longer have to technically brave the elements when we go out, why do we still face uncertainty and the unknown? It's amazing that these two forces are still prevalent and, as human beings, we have developed ways to handle the anxiety of facing the unknown and the uncertain.
Speaker 1:As a psychiatrist, I sit all day long and talk to people who handle anxiety of the unknown by avoidance, just turning their back on it. Many people try to avoid uncertainty by looking the other way or denying it or acting as if it's not there, and while that provides some short-term relief, it often worsens the problem. Another way people try to handle anxiety, myself included, is we just try to control everything. We cling to our routines, we over plan, we try to predict and control every little aspect and every little outcome so that we can feel secure. Very common and it is another way to handle the anxiety of uncertainty and the unknown, and that's to explore and to take risks. To be curious, some people lean in to the uncertainty and see it as this opportunity, an opportunity to discover something, to grow, and you can see where I'm going with that. That might be the healthiest of all. Going with that, that might be the healthiest of all. So what are some steps that we can take to handle uncertainty? On Making Moves Monday what are some moves we can make?
Speaker 1:The first thing we can do, and that I tell clients, is this Refrain the unknown. That's the best thing you can do. You have a brain and this brain of yours is powerful. It can create all kinds of pathways for you if you allow it to. It could also keep you locked down in fear. So if you can reframe the unknown by just shifting your mindset from what if everything goes wrong here to what if this is an opportunity? What if everything can go right? Or how can I make this work for me and remind yourself that the uncertainty may be the first step towards a growth or innovative solution for you. That takes some conscious thinking to reframe the unknown, but if you can reframe it as full of potential, full of opportunity, who knows what could happen? That's the first thing you can do.
Speaker 1:The second thing you can do with uncertainty is to start with what I call small certainties, things that you know, that are certain even in the uncertain situation. So you focus on what you do know or what you can control. Lots of times in the locker rooms we say control the controllables, right? So you want to establish a very simple daily routine that grounds you. I make my coffee this way, I heat it up this way, I put this foot in front of the other foot. I always read my Bible, I go for a run, I come back in, I do a few breaths. Whatever your routine is, start with those small uncertainties and don't give them up when you face uncertainty.
Speaker 1:And then the third thing, which our ancestors were really good at was to embrace curiosity. Ask questions instead of fearing the unknown. Be curious. What's around the corner? I wonder what's going on there? Don't be defensive, don Don't be scared. Be curious. Try thinking hey, maybe there's something there that I could see or learn from, and it may even be better than I think. Kids are great at this, right? Sometimes you look at a kid and you wonder man, they're so fearless, they're so curious. So that's a strategy. What can I learn from this situation? What can I learn about it? What does it have to teach me?
Speaker 1:And then, practicing some kind of mindfulness, grounding yourself in the present moment so much of the anxiety and fear of the unknown is the what if? Monster, right? What if this is going to happen? What if that's going to happen and we find ourselves trapped in the future? That has never happened yet. So mindfulness, or the way we meditate in the moment, helps us pay attention to our breath, take control of this moment. I can breathe in and I can breathe out, and I can breathe in and I can breathe out. You know, when you control your breath, you do have a sense of being grounded. And while you are being grounded, you can think about your plan. Maybe you set a goal that's reasonable and allow yourself to adjust in that goal. Get a mentor, get a support person involved. Don't do it by yourself.
Speaker 1:So those are some steps that you can take this Monday to really help yourself, because it's not about running away from the fear of anxiety and the fear of uncertainty and the unknown. It's about acknowledging it Right. Remember that everyone faces uncertainty. It could be a new job, it could be a big decision, it could be a life change. Who knows? There's always something that gets us a little anxious.
Speaker 1:All I'm asking you to do is just shift the mindset. With that Making Moves Monday. Move today. Shift the mindset. What is one thing I can do right now that can get me to the next step? What's one step that I can take? Right, because the fear always exaggerates things and once you start taking control of the small things, you'll be surprised at how amazing you will be at getting through the uncertainty. And one day you wake up and you look back and you say you know what? I actually handled that much better than I thought.
Speaker 1:Okay, now, this is Dr Sweet. Thank you so much for listening to me on Making Moves Monday here as we tackle the uncertain and the unknown all week long. I hope that you found this helpful today this idea of making just one move, just taking one step, and recognizing that the fear is like a fog, that once you take a step and you move it forward, it's not so bad, it's not so paralyzing, you can get to the other side. Okay, I look forward to see you tomorrow. You know what tomorrow is right. That's take action tuesday, and please join me on linkedin or tikt TikTok, or maybe, if you follow threads, you can see me there. I'm also on YouTube, take care.