As Charles Darwin once wrote, about nature, “it is not the strongest of the species that survives nor the most intelligent but the one, the most responsive to change”.
Life is constantly changing. Some change can be positive like a new house, holiday or new baby whilst other change can be sudden, imposed and stressful. The former is often looked forward to while the latter is more challenging to accept. It is often the uncertainty of a situation, such as a redundancy or illness that causes stress. Plus, if it’s the first time you experienced this situation its harder. But even imposed changes can bring opportunities which end in a good outcome so we need to try to stay openminded and not go into a panic.
Our environment too is constantly changing, and these changes can be both natural or human induced. Natural changes include seasonal changes, such as the arrival of winter and geological changes, such as volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. Nature generally has the basic aims of survival, growth and reproduction and everything it does is on a repeating pattern through the seasons, towards these goals.
Trees remind us that our struggles, often make us stronger. Pot grown trees fed with lots of liquid fertiliser risk growing without the necessary strength in their trunks and roots making them more vulnerable to storms. Whilst trees in the wild create strong, dense wood by growing slowly and steadily. Similarly, although a cold and wet winter can be more difficult to endure, it’s likely to improve our immune systems and resistance to colds and flus. So, spending more time outdoors rather than simply travelling from a warm home to a heated office in a car is helpful.
Human induced changes include deforestation, pollution and climate change, which can have a significant impact on the environment and the living things that inhabit it. For example, deforestation, which involves cutting down trees, can lead to soil erosion, loss of habitats for animals and an increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Pollution, in the air and water, can have a detrimental effect on the health of living things and the environment. Climate change, which is caused by the increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, can lead to rising sea levels, more frequent extreme weather events and changes in the distribution of plant and animal species who have to move or migrate to adapt. It is important to recognize the impact of human activities on the environment and take steps to minimize our negative impact. This can include reducing our use of fossil fuels, recycling, and conserving water and other resources. By taking action, we can help to protect the environment and ensure that it remains healthy for future generations.
There is a spruce tree in Sweden that has a large amount of top growth, but it has roots that have been dated at 9500 years old. As Peter Welburn states in the hidden life of trees, the root is certainly a more decisive factor in its survival than what is growing above ground. Above all, it is the root that looks after the survival of an organism. Likewise for us, developing “strong roots” such as friendships and a network at work and close ties is key to survival. Be around people who are positive rather than people who have a lot of problems and sap your energy, its more enjoyable and inspiring too. Also creating “buffer zones” or “windbreaks” to protect oneself from a hostile person or environment is helpful.
So how can do we adapt when we face adversity or feel out of control ?
Developing a thick skin may be tempting. Trees have thick bark but they’re tough outer skin also contains lenticels holes that allow them to breathe. They are points of vulnerability but they are also tools to help with survival.
One Neuro Linguistic Programming exercise that I use myself if feeling overwhelmed with change and recommend for clients is “Think of 3 good things”. Look at the situation objectively and reflect, then come up with 3 positives or opportunities. This encourages you to be open minded and search for positives so also helps stop you going into negativity.
This exercise may not be suitable though when dealing with change from loss of a loved one. This change, usually needs time to grieve and adapt especially if it’s someone you live with and miss daily. There are also various stages and emotions experienced with loss as well as grief and these can be denial, shock, bargaining, depression and acceptance.
Another mindfulness technique we can use is to allow our stresses and self-defeating thoughts to just flow through us and accept them. The aim is not to block what’s going on in your mind but to encourage thoughts briefly but then creatively let them go. This is how mindfulness works. By visualising them passing through your limbs or “branches” and flowing into a river behind and away from us we are acknowledging them and so they become less intimidating.
Even change involving pain, whether physical or emotional has a proactive purpose. It is designed to provoke a response either to prompt you to move away from a harmful stimulus or to encourage you to take action conducive to healing or to enable you to learn and grow into a more resilient being. We can see this in the “hero’s journey” as we see played out in films such as Star Wars and The Hunger Games where people overcome significant struggles to become a better and stronger person. Pain also helps us to appreciate and really feel the opposite emotion of joy. If we never lean into pain, vulnerability and discomfort how are we going to experience life to the full ?
When we experience change, resilience sometimes means adapting to a new situation as opposed to bouncing back to your former state. Many people say that a life changing trauma has given them an opportunity to reflect on what’s truly important in their life and consequently, they have changed direction to something more worthwhile. If you’ve ever hit rock bottom and fought your way back, it becomes a source of confidence and strength. Studies show that people who have had traumas, such as those with paraplegia, have found they develop clearer goals and a sense of purpose compared to those previously held. It’s very easy in life to just carry on doing what you’ve always done and known. Life changing incidents give us the opportunity to reflect and redirect our energies to create a better life for ourselves.
To summarise it’s important to remain flexible in your thinking and to respond to change proactively when it happens. Value and learn from all your experiences however much you dislike them at the time. Aim to overcome challenges by focusing on solutions rather than the problem. Think about what you can do rather than what you can’t do. Take time to consider your options and don’t rush into decisions. Sleeping on a problem can be really helpful as your subconscious will continue to think about the issue while you sleep and often comes up with solutions the next morning. Look at the big picture and work out the pros and cons. Talking to a trusted person or going for a walk can also be helpful as ideas can come to you too.
We all have the capacity for resilience inside of us. However sometimes we need additional support and to invest in our own wellbeing. Lastly remembering the positives and what you’ve achieved, being thankful for opportunities and the people in your life and celebrating your success is a great way to build up your own emotional and energetic bank account.
By Katie James
Katie James runs Walking for Wellness groups in Bramley, Hampshire. The next walk is on Sunday 19th November. These are aimed at helping people build resilience by looking and learning from nature. If interested in coming along, please get in touch.