Paleo Magazine – August-September 2019

If you can pay close
attention to your emotions
as they arise without judging
them, you’re more likely to
avoid getting caught up in
them. You can acknowledge
the emotion without
identifying with it. Mental
flexibility means realizing
you are not your emotions.
If you can be mindful as
much as possible, you have
the best possible chance at
retaining mental flexibility.

3

Maintaining

a Framework
Things are getting
intense out there. The
world is changing faster
than ever before, and you
cannot follow every twist
and turn and dip and
dive, and hope to retain
your sanity or congruence.
Mental flexibility isn’t
about swapping personal
philosophies every week or
changing who you are based
on how the wind blows.
It’s about maintaining your
mental, philosophical,
and emotional framework
even as things around you
descend into chaos. You
can maintain sanity and
order as everything changes
around you because you
stay true to yourself.
That’s true flexibility.
Think about what Paleo is
all about. People might think
Paleo eating is about rigid
rules that cripple you in the

modern food arena. That if
everything isn’t organic and

grass-fed and unprocessed,

you’re helpless. The truth is that

an adept Paleo dieter can enter

into any food environment—a

mediocre buffet, a greasy diner,

an airport, a kid’s birthday

party, a vegan restaurant—

and conduct him or herself

accordingly. They can figure out

what to eat and what not to eat,

what works, what doesn’t—and

sometimes they’ll just use the

situation as an opportunity to

fast. The point is that they have

a solid frame of reference, a

dietary rubric that gives them

the stability to assess and adapt

to any situation.

With metabolic flexibility,

the modern food environment

will not break you. With good

tissue flexibility, your body

stays supple and mobile.

With mental flexibility,

you’ll be able to:

Bounce back from

hardships, often having learned

something important.

Reframe situations

that you used to perceive as

negative or catastrophic.

Maintain frame amid

the chaos.

Live your best

possible life.

MARK SISSON IS THE

NEW YORK TIMES

BESTSELLING

AUTHOR OF THE

KETO RESET

DIET.

MENTAL FLEXIBILITY

the (^) onl
y thing w
e can
contro
l in this
life is o
ur
respons
e to (^) the
(^) world
and
what it t
hrows a
t (^) us. (^) Men
tal
flexibil
ity (^) desc
ribes
our cog
nitive a
bility (^)
to (^) respo
nd (^) adap
tively
to (^) the (^) w
orld.
74 August/September 2019