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Just when we may have felt on top things, the world changed and we all had to adjust to a new reality.<\/p>\n
In addition to the constantly changing landscape of the current pandemic, life can shift in ways we were not anticipating. Sometimes the vicissitudes you encounter personally and professionally call for minor self-adjustments; at other times, your world feels turned upside down.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Fortunately, on the journey of wellness leadership, a saving grace is your unfailing capacity to adapt. Similar to how renowned physicist Stephen Hawking adapted to a serious health issue, our brains, body and psyche have been constantly adapting throughout our lives. This ability to adapt, enabling mind-blowing transformations such as a caterpillar to a moth, is inherent to every being, including you. Trust it. Embracing your capacity to adapt can serve you as you navigate how to fully live and lead wellness.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
What Does It Mean to Be Adaptable?<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p>\n Being adaptable means accepting and effectively adjusting to shifting circumstances and demands. Experts in Traditional Chinese Medicine, India\u2019s healthcare model Ayurveda, and Western medicine go so far as to say that being adaptable is the very definition of health, and it plays out physiologically, individually, interpersonally and societally. This enlightening view reminds us that when we learn to interact with our world with flexibility and harmony, we inherently grow wellbeing.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Adaptability Allows Us to Thrive<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p>\n Psychologist Guy Winch says, \u201cOur ability to have life satisfaction, to be happy [and] to have good relationships really depends on our ability to adapt.\u201d Mentally and emotionally, being adaptable helps you buffer stress, deal with life\u2019s traumas and challenges with greater resilience, and directs your inner resources toward a healthy, fulfilling life. Physically, being adaptable is as vital to the movements you make every day as it is to your ability to respond to surprise.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n In the workplace, adaptability is key to career success. Adaptable people are better equipped to handle change, juggle multiple demands, respond to new situations creatively, and work with a variety of people and approaches to achieve results. In addition, entire organizations and communities must be adaptable to remain innovative, relevant and resilient.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n So, the question is: How does your ability to adapt help you as a wellness leader?<\/p>\n<\/p>\n When you are more adaptable, you naturally influence others to be adaptable, too. Bring adaptability to the forefront of your wellness leadership by experimenting with these seven strategies.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n 1. Trust how you are already adaptable and resilient.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Make a list of three past challenges you successfully navigated and how. You will discover that you succeeded in part due to your ability to recover from setbacks and adapt to change. It\u2019s important to honor your ability to adapt\u2014and mentor adaptability in others by sharing your wisdom.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n 2. Set yourself up to flex.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p>\n If you are rigid and stressed in your inner world, that\u2019s likely how you\u2019ll be perceived by your outer world. Commit to daily habits that help you function from a foundation of expansiveness and wellbeing. For instance, eating well, moving your body, getting sufficient sleep, adopting a growth mindset, and seeking moments of gratitude are habits that increase your adaptability.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n 3. Meet reactivity with breath.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p>\n Your meeting with a partner is spiraling downward. Your stomach, jaw and thinking have tensed\u2014you are bracing, mind and body, to defend your views. How can you nudge your stress toward greater openness and adapt to the situation? Take a conscious breath. It is true for us all: As our reactivity rises, our adaptability erodes. Yet, we have the power to shift our state of being. Enhance conversations at work and home by sharing these breathing practices with others.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n 4. Ask, \u201cWhat else could be true?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p>\n Update your perspectives about a challenge by seeking opinions that differ from your own. Listen to podcasts or read news reports that shake up your views and talk to people who may disagree with you. What new questions or insights do you now have about the issue that you otherwise would have missed? Build adaptable thinking as a muscle in your family or team by inviting them to do this activity, too.<\/p>\n<\/p>\nPut Adaptability Into Practice<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n