😱 BUBBLE-WRAPPED RESILIENCE BUSTERS
How to Lose Your Resilience in 90 Days (or LESS) By Dr. Heath | Shoe Leather Psychology: Cognitive Science to Improve Your Walk in Life This winter, I’ve often found myself gazing out my window toward the edge of the woods, watching the deer poke around in the cold and snow, hardly batting an eyelash. Their world is so curious and amazing, being so simple, so black-and-white: Am I in real danger or not? If the answer is no, they carry on with their day. Meanwhile, humans have managed to wire our radars so tightly that a lukewarm latte or a delayed text message can set off a full-blown DEFCON 5-alarm. In our quest for comfort, we’ve grown so sensitive that even the faintest whiff of discomfort can ignite thoughts of a world-ending catastrophe. But what if you want to be that sensitive? What if you’re looking for a foolproof way to lose any remaining threads of your resilience, fast and effectively? Read on as I flip conventional wisdom on its head. Normally, you’d hear me talking about building grit, embracing challenges, or taking cold plunges for mental toughness. Instead, I’m going to walk you through the exact opposite: How to see lurking threats in every innocuous corner of life, until you can’t handle the slightest breeze off your perfectly preset temperature. You’ll be hearing from a whole cast of “ghosts” that once haunted my therapy couch — specters I’ve helped exorcise from the minds of thousands of clients over the years. Each one offers a cautionary tale about how we humans can over-polish our comfort zones until we’re incapable of coping with even the smallest hiccup. Think of these lingering spirits — left behind in my rustic little cedar-walled office — as a cautionary dream team, guiding you deeper into the labyrinth of bubble-wrapping your existence. The prize at the end? A life so finely cushioned that even a one-degree variance in your latte’s temperature can wreck your morning, your relationships, and your future. Step 1: Treat Every Mild Inconvenience as a Total Catastrophe