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As children we all have extremely flexible bodies. I used to be able to do full splits and standing back bends as an 8 year-old gymnast. Most children have equally flexible minds. Those minds are capable of believing in monsters under the bed and cloud creatures in the sky. Over time, both our bodies and our minds tend to become more rigid.

This past week I spent some time around a person who has a very rigid mind and world view. This person has constructed a world in which a very small number of actions and opinions are “correct” and everything outside of those choices is, “just plain wrong.” The narrowness of possible “correct” options extends down to the tiniest of choices, such as how to wash a dish or what to eat for dinner.

After a short while, it became apparent to me how much stress and anxiety this level of rigidity creates. Because the range of acceptable options is so small for my case study subject, life is often happening in ways that cause anxiety and discomfort. If someone holds a contrary viewpoint or something gets dirty this person has to take action immediately to make things “right” again. All else failing, the subject would have to build a wall of negativity and judgment against the offending incident.

This is an exhausting way to live.

How does this relate to change?
Human beings have very little control over many of the circumstances of our lives. We can’t do anything about the weather, or being downsized, or Mom’s Alzheimer’s disease. What we can control is our ability to adapt and react to the changing circumstances of our lives.

The good news is that, just like physical stretching, there are lots of ways to stay mentally nimble. Some of my suggestions will be coming in the next post.