Blog Post #26: Fear & Rigidity

When we are under stress it is very natural for us to dig our heels in and refuse to change. When we are afraid we are even more likely to do this. Unfortunately rigidity is not helpful in a crisis. Flexibility is usually the key to survival. In the present crisis with our country and our nation there is a great deal of fear. Fear of the unknown. There is great uncertainty regarding what the future will bring. To be resilient in this crisis we manage must R fear so we can be flexible in responding to the challenges that the crisis presents now and in the future.

We all want things to get back to normal. But unfortunately they probably never will. There will be a new normal parts of which we may like and many parts of which we may not like. Adapting to this new future will require flexibility and the willingness to accept change and even embrace it.

To manage the brave New World we will be a part of, we will need to continue to communicate with others and connect with others. And we will have to develop more tolerance for uncertainty. At this point the future is not in any way predictable. We are going to have to find purpose and meaning in an unpredictable world. For many this maybe very hard. This will require developing new skills. Some of us will be taking new jobs and not going back to the old ones. Many of the skills we will require will be new life skills. The new future will be demanding. There will be much work to be done in rebuilding our lives, our communities and our government. We will need to believe in ourselves and develop the self-confidence to be resilient. We have no choice.

Ron Breazeale PhD