Adaptability To Flourish Through Change

Change is inevitable and ever present in our personal and professional lives. While some embrace change as an opportunity and relish in it, for most of us change and the uncertainties it brings can be very unsettling, even perhaps a source of fear and severe anxiety.

I myself have experienced a lot of changes over the years. During my 25 years of a career, I worked as a Nurse (graduated from a 4-year medical school), Chartered Accountant, Finance Director, Mindfulness Teacher and Breathwork Coach. I have been so lucky to pursue careers that inspired me at different stages of my life.

I can write few pages describing my very colourful career in detail but if I take a step back and look at the big picture, how I thrived through each major change boils down to one word, Adaptability.

Our adaptability determines how we perceive change and how well we cope with it. Let’s have a closer look.

It is OK to find change uncomfortable

Many of us may be conditioned to think that we need to be brave, or at least to put on a brave face, when we face with change and unknowns it can bring.

I am sure that one time or another we all have heard someone saying, even affirmed to ourselves, ‘just get on with it’ or ‘men up’.

However, this is simply contrary to our neurological makeup. Because our brain is hardwired to resist uncertainty brought by change.

There are so many dynamics to this, but at the very core let’s remember that the most ancient and powerful part of our brain (limbic system) evolved to keep us safe from physical danger.

This survival focus means that our brain likes being in control – know where the danger is and how to keep us safe. As a result, uncertainty generates a strong alert response (or ‘fight or flight’) in our body.

So, how come the uncertainties we face in our work and in daily life can trigger the same survival mechanism that evolved to keep our earliest ancestors safe?

The answer is simple. Our nervous system has not adopted to our modern lives as evolutionary changes happen at a much slower pace. Therefore, it can’t differentiate between a real physical and a perceived danger.

In our brain’s eyes, uncertainties brought by a company restructuring, lifting of lock down restrictions or a parent-teacher meeting evoke the very same neurological response that a potential presence of a wild animal did in our early ancestor’s time.

The good news is we are not captive to our neurological makeup. Through our adaptability, we can also allow our rational thinking part of your brain (the prefrontal cortex) to regain control from the ‘fight or flight’ part of your brain (the limbic system).

Stronger involvement of our rational brain can help us to have broader understanding or and perspective of ourselves and our circumstances. This can allow us to rationally plan our steps and where appropriate take measures to manage and even flourish through change.

We also have powerful tools in our disposal to build our muscles of adaptability such as Breathwork techniques and Meditation practices.

Luckily, adaptability is a core skill that we can build and develop.

Strengthening our ability to adapt

There are so many aspects to adaptability but in this article, I would like to touch upon its two main foundations that can help you to build or strengthen your adaptability.

Step 1 – Emotional self-awareness

You notice and become aware of your emotions (e.g. I feel nervous, I am angry) and how you respond to the world around you.

Step 2 – Emotional self-control

You can take steps to remain calm even during stressful situation, which will allow you to think creatively and respond rather than becoming trapped in situation-reaction loop.

Let me explain adaptability in these two steps with a simple hypothetical example.

Imagine that you received a tense email from your boss. Upon reading the email, your heart started pounding, your breathing become fast and shallow, start to experience cold sweats. This is your body’s natural ‘fight or flight’ response, stimulated by the perception of the nervous system of this email and its contents as physical danger.

Remember, our mind can read all danger (real or perceived) as danger to our physical survival, and therefore act accordingly.

With emotional self-awareness, as the name suggest, you can turn your attention away from the ruminating thoughts in your mind, into noticing and even, where possible, labelling your emotions such ‘Fear (of losing my job)’, ‘Sadness (from hearing those words)’.

While rumination can potentially lead to strong reactions, recognising your emotions can facilitate the next step – taking charge with emotional self-control.

In emotional self-control, you can use various tools. Over the years I have tried and tested so many techniques, but the following two always worked the best:

boost serotonin, feel good hormone, by reminding yourself of a praise from your boss that made you happy and proud
calm the fight or flight response and balance the nervous system by practicing a quick breathwork practice

But everyone is unique. So, try to identify what tools and techniques may suit you the best.

2-min Breathwork to calm the mind

Try this 2-minute calming break anytime you experience stress and tension.

Start by finding a comfortable position with your feet on the ground.
Close your eyes or drop your gaze on the ground in front of you.
Start to gently slow down your inhales and exhales – breathe little lighter and little longer than usual.
Allow your breathing to comfortably settle to this style
Continue for 2-minutes or as needed
Allow your breath to return to its natural pace and rhythm of inhale and exhale.

In conclusion, change happens, often out of your control. But in adaptability, you have the resources and choice to manage it in the best possible way and flourish.