I know it‘s become a cliché for people to say “the only constant in life is change,” but when the Greek philosopher Heraclitus made this famous observation about change, it was 535 BC.  And while his understanding of the universality of change has held up well with the test of time (better than his fashion sense), what he and most all of us could never have predicted is the rapid acceleration, especially in recent times, in the rate of change.  In responding to the ever increasing pressures of new technologies and information overload, scientists are now adapting their models of coping with change and recommending an approach that is even more reliant on our adaptability as a key to mental wellness.

Previous models of change tended to rely on the concept of homeostasis, the idea that we have a status quo, experience something disruptive, and adapt in order to bring ourselves back to the status quo.  More recently, a shift to a concept called allostasis has been taking favor.  Allostasis is based on the idea that our healthy baseline is a moving target.  While both processes strive for stability, in homeostasis the goal is a return to a baseline that is the same as before.  Whereas in allostasis, the stability achieved would be a new baseline.  As author Brad Stalberg writes in his book, Master of Change: How to Excel When Everything Is Changing, homeostasis involves moving from X to Y and back to X, whereas, allostasis is thought of as X to Y to Z.  He writes, “The way to stay stable through the process of change is by changing, at least to some extent.  If you want to hold your footing, you’ve got to keep moving.”  Allostasis is defined as stability through change.

An allostatic approach acknowledges that the goal of mature adulthood is not to avoid, fight or try to control change, but rather, to skillfully engage with it.  Via this shift, change is seen as something that doesn’t happen to you, but as something you’re working with, an ongoing process of adaptation.  As Sterburg describes it, it’s about balancing acceptance with problem solving to move on to a new normal.  Overcoming pain, for example, either psychological or physical, is not about resistance, or trying to get back to how you were, but rather involves acceptance and growth.  In fact, as we learn about neuroplasticity, the truth is that our brain is at its best when it is constantly rewiring itself and making new connections.  In this way, change becomes a normal and healthy process rather than something to be feared.

As I have seen in my own work with people and as documented throughout the world, anxiety is at epidemic proportions.  I do think it is related to this fear of change and is emerging so intensely at this time specifically because the rate of change has become so rapid.  Information is coming at us at unprecedented rates, through news, social media, and ever changing sources of information.  We have more access to goods and services (Amazon, for example, can give you access to most anything at any time) and more choices about what and how we engage in the world.  Our climate is changing quickly with ore storms and cycles, and our technology is ever increasing in its ability and ways of engagement.  We are bombarded with a constant supply of new information and are asked to perform in ever increasingly complex environments (self check out, anyone?)  No wonder we’re overwhelmed.  Anxiety, simply put, appears in direct proportion to our perceived sense of threat in relation to our sense that we can handle that threat.  As we watch the news and are so inundated with the facts and images of our changing world, it’s easy to feel unsafe.  In response, we as a society have tended to become more cautious, which only fuels our experience of the world as being a scary place.  A classic phenomena of anxiety is that the more we avoid what makes us anxious, the more power it has over us.  As we feel threatened by change and try to resist it, we withdraw and become overwhelmed by it.  

I believe the concept of allostasis will be an important focus in addressing anxiety and helping us to be more resilient in the face of rapid change.  Science does point to there being strong evidence that we can become stronger and grow from change and that much of how we navigate change can, in fact, be developed and practiced.  There is much new research supporting the idea that how well we cope with change is directly related to our life satisfaction.  Our psychological approach to change must involve both an ability to be tough and determined by sticking to our core values while simultaneously adapting, consciously responding to changing conditions and bending without breaking.  As Bradberg describes it, “equal parts ruggedness and flexibility.”

For myself, and in thinking about how to be of help to others in this age of rapid change, applying an allostatic perspective (that’s a mouthful), I can see the importance of becoming more fluid in my expectations, becoming more comfortable with uncertainty, and expanding  meaning and purpose through growth. I imagine myself as a modern Heraclitus, standing at the water and noting “no one ever steps in the same river twice,” except today I’ve gotten to the river driving an electric car, using google maps, hoping I’ve applied the right UV protection sunscreen, wearing my Athleta swim outfit, all while listening to the latest ESPN Daily podcast.   In other words…stay tuned.  There’s a lot more material I’m going to need to cover!