🤔 Are you twisting yourself into a pretzel trying to keep up with “the new normal?”
When we first emerged from Covid, many of us (myself included) used “the new normal” to describe moving from a pre-pandemic to post-pandemic way of living, anticipating settling into a different, but relatively consistent modus operandi.
That hasn’t exactly happened.
Many of us weren’t expecting what feels like an endlessly shifting environment where no two months (weeks? days?) are the same.
🤯 Moving from remote work to a hybrid to mandatory returns to the office and back again.
🤯 Facing staff shortages & changing work responsibilities related to #thegreatresignation.
🤯 Economically, moving from stimulus checks to soaring #inflation .
Then there's climate change, war, the ongoing Covid threat....
The collective question hanging over us, testing our ability to be flexible and agile, is - 'What next?' and many of us are understandably struggling.
If you know me, then you know that there is a #physicalintelligence lesson in this. With a few key techniques, we can naturally boost production of the brain chemicals oxytocin (social bonding/trust), dopamine (pleasure/reward) and serotonin (happiness/status) as well as DHEA to increase vitality and energy, encouraging production of the first three.
These tips help us respond to and manage change more effectively:
🤸 Move More: Our bodies and brains are inextricably linked, physical flexibility enhances our mental and emotional flexibility. Remaining physically flexible helps manage ongoing change around us. Regularly scan your body for areas of tension and identify stretches to alleviate them. If you are in a sedentary role, twist at the waist at least twice each day; (90+% of our serotonin is produced by independent neurons in our gut and moving the midsection helps us release serotonin).
🧠 Recognize and Manage Your Emotions: To roll with changes all emotions (good and bad) need to be expressed; match the reaction to the circumstance and practice letting go and/or determining what you can learn from the experience.
Spend at least 10 minutes daily practicing paced breathing, which remains the most effective way to naturally increase DHEA and a great first step in managing stress.
Leaders, pay attention to the impact change has on your team and create supportive, open, high trust cultures to increase oxytocin.
🧑🎨 Boost Creativity and Innovation: This requires dopamine – essential for creativity and innovation. To create and innovate, it is important to view the world from perspectives other than our own. To give yourself a healthy dose of dopamine, literally shift your perspective by looking at something you find beautiful in art or nature. Physically moving (eg walking) enhances creativity and innovation by fostering better communication between the left and right hemispheres of the brain.
How do you stay flexible and agile in the face of change?
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