Increase resilience for transition #1: Cultivate stillness

What is resilience?

Resilience is a term which is used quite widely, but many people find it difficult to define what resilience actually means. For the purposes of this blog series on increasing resilience for transition, I’ll use this definition of resilience from Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary:

“an ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change”

Cultivating stillness as a strategy to increase resilience

There was one particular section from the article ‘How to Stop Feeling Time-Starved’ which really caught my attention:

“We human beings need stillness in order to recharge our batteries. The constant stream of external stimulation that we get from our televisions and computers and smart phones, while often gratifying in the moment, ultimately causes what neuroscientists call “cognitive overload.” This state of feeling overwhelmed impairs our ability to think creatively, to plan, organize, innovate, solve problems, make decisions, resist temptations, learn new things easily, speak fluently, remember important social information and control our emotions. In other words, it impairs basically everything we need to do in a given day.”

Why is cultivating stillness so important for resilience in transition?

Anyone who has moved country can testify to the very real concept of ‘cognitive overload’ and feeling overwhelmed. So many of the essential skills required throughout relocation are included on the list of impairments caused by cognitive overload. It’s difficult enough to move to a new place when you’re firing on all cylinders. If you experience even one or two of the cognitive impairments listed in the article, it’s no wonder that people find the move so challenging for so long. Cultivating stillness allows people to recharge their batteries. This means anyone who is relocating could engage stillness to feel less overwhelmed, and feeling less overwhelmed lessens the negative impact on cognitive skills throughout a relocation.

How I can help

Much of my work with families and international schools focuses on developing and maintaining resilience throughout relocation. I offer a range of approaches to best suit individual needs. My options for support for a resilient relocation include my hello/goodbye program, coaching and A New Adventure: Coaching Cards for an International Move.