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Copyright © 2020 Dr Peter Gruenewald, MD
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-5136-6640-2
Book and cover design by Madison Lux.
Edited by Hannah Skaggs.
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted by any means—whether auditory, graphic, mechanical, or electronic—without written permission of both publisher and author, except in the case of brief excerpts used in critical articles and reviews. Unauthorized reproduction of any part of this work is illegal and is punishable by law.
The training program provided in this manual is not a substitute for advice, treatment, or counseling from a registered health professional or therapist. A health professional or therapist should be consulted in the case of suspected physical or mental illness. The training is not a substitute for any intervention advised by your healthcare provider or therapist. If in doubt, always consult your healthcare provider or therapist.
Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
Contents
What Is Adaptive Resilience?
Exercise 1: Coherence Training
The Breath Pacer
Rescue Breath
Exercise 2: Quick Stress Relief
Exercise 3: In-Step Technique
Step 1: Review (Stepping out)
Step 2: Contemplation (Making sense)
Step 3: Mental rehearsal (Stepping in)
Exercise 4: A Courageous Conversation with Myself (Positive Self-Talk)
Strengthen Your Willpower and Attract Favorable Circumstances
Exercise 5: Mindful Nature Observation
Exercise 6: Active Listening
Exercise 7: Transforming Difficult Relationships
Addendum: Physiology and Psychology of Stress and Resilience
The Autonomic Nervous System
The Physiology of Engagement and Flow
Positive Emotions
Summary and Conclusion
About the Author
What Is Adaptive Resilience?
Adaptive resilience is about transforming raw emotions into higher feelings, building resilience, improving and protecting health, and enhancing performance and productivity.
TED speaker, psychologist, former management consultant, and teacher Angela Lee Duckworth wanted to know what makes people successful in this day and age. She studied people in various industries, from the military to students in spelling contests to teachers working in rough neighborhoods to executives in private companies. In all these different contexts, one trait emerged as a significant predictor of success. Duckworth said, “It wasn’t social intelligence, it wasn’t good looks, physical health, and it wasn’t IQ. It was grit. Grit is passion and perseverance for very long-term goals. Grit is having stamina. Grit is sticking with your future day in, day out, not just for the week, not just for the month, but for years, and working really hard to make that future a reality. Grit is living life like it’s a marathon, not a sprint.”
No one is free from problems in life. Even if you can’t think of major obstacles, you’re bound to be challenged by the changes in your life, especially fast changes. We know grit is an important factor to succeed through change and challenges, and we see that it can be built by developing resilience skills and a “growth mindset.”
Now, some of you may think, “But I don’t want to persevere to reach long-term goals. It’s too hard. I prefer to live life in the moment and take things as they happen.” Adaptive resilience is not just about being able to bounce back or press on despite obstacles, but the ability to prevent pitfalls and embrace problems in a flexible way, emerging with an even stronger balance.
Hungarian psychologist Mihaly Csíkszentmihályi found that “flow states” (i.e., moments of being “in the zone”) are key to a person’s happiness. With adaptive resilience, you’ll find that life feels like neither a marathon nor a sprint, but a dance in which you are in the zone.
Stress, Health, and Performance
Most of us wish to be happy, fulfilled, and successful. Psychological studies have investigated character traits of those who, despite facing major challenges in life, consider themselves as having achieved these goals. The studies show that people are most resilient in the face of trouble if they can shift from the negative emotions experienced at times of crisis—such as anger, frustration, sadness, despair, and guilt—toward positive feelings such as forgiveness, compassion, self-compassion, appreciation, and gratitude.,
Emotional intelligence, one of the most import...
