Subscribe at: PaleoMagazine.com August/September 2019 73
describes our cognitive
ability to respond adaptively
to the world.
Just like the modern food
environment has made
metabolic flexibility more
important than ever, mental
flexibility has become an
absolute requirement for
sustained wellness. Before
industrial technology, the
world moved slowly. For
most of human history, the
world you inhabited was
about the same as the world
your parents inhabited.
If change occurred, it did
so gradually enough that
everyone could adapt.
Today, change is rapid.
Technology that seemed
revolutionary five years ago
is now outdated. The job
market is shifting under
your feet. The avalanche
of information isn’t
stopping—it’s only growing
and morphing. We need to
respond adaptively. Hence,
we need mental flexibility.
Over the course of my
time on this planet, I’ve
figured out the best ways to
cultivate mental flexibility.
I’ve never been particularly
good at handling stress. Even
after I developed the Primal
Blueprint and figured out the
best way for me to eat, train,
and sleep (and all the rest),
I still had major issues with
stress. I’d worry, I’d overreact,
I’d ruminate. You know—
typical practices of a Type-A
personality. So I worked at it
and eventually came up with
a few effective methods for
cultivating mental flexibility.1
Choosing
Gratitude
When something negative
befalls you, you can mentally
respond in one of two
ways: you can ruminate on
the negativity or you can
show gratitude.
If you dwell on the bad, you
give it power. You make the
bad worse. You might even
lie to yourself and say you’re
“working on a problem.” But
really, you’re just ruminating.
Yo u’v e e n m e s h e d y o u r s e l f
in a vicious cycle of negative
thoughts. This cycle isn’t
productive. It isn’t helpful.
It’s only making things
worse. It’s hamstringing your
ability to live a good, happy,
meaningful life. You get
less mentally flexible when
you ruminate.
If you show gratitude,
you give yourself power
by expanding your
interpretation of the
situation. The misfortune
suddenly stops being
only a tragic occurrence;
it becomes a teacher, an
opportunity for you to learn
and grow. The unpleasant
task isn’t something to be
avoided; it’s something to be
assailed and conquered. It’s
something to throw yourself
into. Showing gratitude in
the face of negativity is a
unique way of responding
to the slings and arrows of
outrageous fortune, and
it’s a way to cultivate
mental flexibility.2
Being
Mindful
You don’t have to practice
mindfulness meditation
(though it’s a great option)
to cultivate mindfulness.
I’ve never had any luck
with formal meditation.
What works for me is
doing anything that forces
me to pay attention to the
moment, like stand-up
paddling, or something
I call non-judgmental
everyday awareness.
When a thought arrives,
or a situation occurs, or
anything at all happens, hold
back judgment. Even if it’s
positive. These judgments set
the tone for our subsequent
experience and are often
subconscious, so the first
step is to realize we’re
making them. Observe and
acknowledge the situation,
thought, or emotion. If it’s
sadness, acknowledge the
unpleasantness and accept it.
If it’s a rude driver cutting
you off, move on. If a bird
poops on your shoulder,
get a paper towel. Above
all, realize that you are
experiencing these emotions
and reactions but that
you are not your emotions
and reactions. You are the
observer, and you have the
power to move on.
If you can pay close
attention to the present
moment as it unfolds, you’ll
give yourself the best shot at
responding to the situation.MENTAL FLEXIBILITYYou can
maintain
sanity and
order as
everything
changes
around you
because you
stay true to
yourself.