Cultivating Flexibility and Resilience – TPW465

Psychological flexibility and resilience are key components of a meaningfully productive life, helping us navigate change and bounce back from adversity. We can't predict the ways in which our life will change, but we can learn to respond and adapt in productive ways The modern world is unpredictable and constantly changing. And change is not something I’ve been a fan of throughout my life. In fact, it’s been a challenge for me to adapt to change. This is something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately, as my husband and I have been discussing some big changes as we approach retirement--including downsizing from the house we love and considering plans to travel more in an RV to visit our kids around the country and see some parts of the country we haven’t seen before. While these changes are exciting, they also challenge my home-body-routine-favoring personality. As I’ve pondered all this, I’ve thought a lot about the importance of being flexible, adaptable, and resilient in the face of unexpected difficulties. As I dug into the topics, I’ve come to understand that flexibility and resilience are vital traits that can boost productivity by helping us accommodate change, navigate challenges with a positive mindset, and adapt to different situations. Definitions and Differences: What is flexibility? Oxford: “the quality of bending easily without breaking”; “willingness to change or compromise”  Dictionary.com: “the ability to bend easily or without breaking”; “the quality of being easily adapted”  Cambridge: “the ability to change or be changed easily according to the situation”; “the ability to bend or to be bent easily without breaking”  One self-described researcher named Anan Bari Sarkar, in a post on Quora, talked about “psychological flexibility” as “the ability to accept difficult thoughts and feelings without judgment, and to take action in accordance with your values. It is a skill that can be learned and developed over time.”  Another article on Medium describes flexibility as “the ability to adjust to changes in your life without creating stress or drama. [and notes that] Being flexible in life means that you can change your plans and adapt to new situations easily.” What is resilience? Oxford: “the capacity to withstand or to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness”  Dictionary.com: “the power or ability of a material to return to its original form, position, etc., after being bent, compressed, or stretched”; “the ability of a person to adjust or recover readily from illness, adversity, major life changes, etc.”  Merriam-Webster: “the capability of a strained body to recover its size and shape after deformation caused especially by compressive stress”; “an ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change”  Cambridge: “the ability to be happy, successful, etc. again after something difficult or bad has happened”; “the ability of a substance to return to its usual shape after being bent, stretched, or pressed”  From the Medium article I mentioned earlier: “People more inclined toward Resiliency can maintain (or regain) functionality and vitality despite trouble or setback. They effectively combine strength and adaptability. Natural confidence and a positive outlook allow them to view difficulty as opportunity and failure as growth.