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What is Adaptability?

Biologists describe adaptability as an organism’s ability to change so that it successfully fits into a new environment. Emotional adaptability is very similar: it is the ability to learn new skills to cope, and even flourish, with the changes in your life.
Do You Have Adaptability?
Every person has adaptability. Some people are better at adapting to new situations and major life changes, but every person has the ability to make adjustments in life. Without the ability to adapt, you would not be able to function in the world. When you go to the store and find that they don’t have your favorite cereal, you choose another one or you go to a different store. That’s adaptability. You found a way to cope with the problem.
This is a fairly simple example, and most of the things in life that we struggle with require more effort. Life events like losing a loved one or a significant injury can make you feel like you simply cannot find a way to adapt to the changes in your life, but if you can show even the smallest amount of adaptability then you can develop those skills. That doesn’t mean that life will be easy, but it does mean that you can handle these changes and learn to adapt.
The Traits of Adaptable People

Adaptable people display many traits that help them adapt to new situations. You will probably recognize many of them in yourself, but you don’t have to meet every expectation to exercise your adaptability.

• Adaptable people are mindful of their environments. Being fully present helps you adjust to new situations.
• Adaptable people are creative. They find new ways to approach situations until they find a strategy that works for them.
• Adaptable people are resilient to change because they find ways to cope.
• Adaptable people welcome change as a challenge. Once you learn to rely on your adaptability, you can learn quite a bit by encountering new situations. Change gives you the opportunity to learn new things about yourself and the world.

Learning to Become More Adaptable
There are countless programs that claim to help you learn to be more flexible in your life. Many of the most reliable are mindfulness programs developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn. Kabat-Zinn is the director of the University of Massachusetts Medical School’s Center for Mindfulness in Medicine. His programs use mindfulness meditation to help people learn how to listen to their bodies and stay present in their lives, which are skills that can greatly improve adaptability.
Here are some links to web sites that offer information on improving your adaptability:
Current and archived issues of Shambhala Sun offer articles about mindfulness meditation and other subjects that can help you learn to be more adaptable.
Shambhala Sun: Buddhism Culture Meditation Life
The UMass Center for Mindfulness has online programs, books, CDs, and events that can help you learn the skills that can improve your adaptability.
University of Massachusetts medical School: Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society
Recommended Books to Improve Adaptability

There are many books that can help you learn to be more adaptable. Some of them focus on specific areas of life like business or relationships. These books have helped many people learn adaptability skills. Choose one that concentrates on the area that you want to work on most.

• Adaptability: Responding Effectively to Change by Allan Calarco and Joan Gurvis.
• Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of your Body and Mind to Face Stress by Jon Kabat-Zinn.
• The Happiness Trap: How to Stop Struggling and Start Living by Russ Harris.

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