You’re a product of your past, your environment, your interactions, and your choices. Some of these elements are within your control and many are not. No one goes through life without a scratch.
You can adapt to anything life throws at you. Whether you know it or not, you are resilient.
This means that you either adapt to the things you can’t control or you live with emotional pain. When you push up against circumstances that can’t be changed, you generate more painful feelings and you lament what isn’t instead of living in the reality of what is.
In my work as a therapist, I have worked with countless people who aren’t happy as a result of what’s going on around them and what’s going on within them. Many of these clients were in situations that can be altered (even if they couldn’t see how to change it at the time) and once we work through their underlying conflicts, patterns and default modes, not only do they change what’s going on within them, but they change what’s going on around them.
However, I’ve also worked with many clients who find themselves in circumstances that can’t be changed (such as the loss of a loved one) or people who are in situations that can’t be changed immediately – without bad consequences – such as: a horrible job they can’t yet leave until they have secured another form of income.
We were built to last. Nature provides all living organisms with with the ability to adapt to extreme circumstances.
Some fascinating facts about nature that prove this point over and over again…
For example: research proves that people who are hearing impaired have a heightened ability to see better than people who aren’t hearing impaired. Likewise, people who are visually impaired have a heightened ability hear better than people who aren’t visually impaired.
Even plants that have been through trauma are built to survive it (and so are you!).
There are many plants and trees that have survived bushfires because of having leaves that burn rapidly. The leaves then grow back quickly, directly on the trunk of the tree, in order to restore health to the tree as quickly as possible. If you’ve been through trauma and you want to learn more about your auto-adaptability, read this and optionally read this about sexual trauma.
When things around you are feeling overwhelming, when it feels like you’re stuck, and when life is getting you down…here are some things you can do activate your innate adaptation abilities and build your resilience.
P.S. Don’t forget to get your MindBody IQ by taking this free quiz.
P.P.S. If you think this blog could help someone you know, share the inspiration by forwarding it along.
