Disasters are illuminating. They expose weaknesses; both neglected and unknown. They reveal our preparedness, our mental toughness, and our financial stability.
When the cracks are realized, our first instinct is to make changes to prevent the disaster from affecting us again.
But a problem emerges when we make changes with our most recent struggles in mind: recency bias. We focus on the specific details of the last disaster, forgetting about other threats. Ultimately we’re still fragile.
Disasters cause pain. Whether it’s emotional or physical, the hurt causes vivid and strong reactions. We remember pain, and we want to avoid it in the future through whatever means possible. The availability of memories of our recent pain informs what we think we should do to stop it from happening again.
Instead of hoarding mountains of toilet paper and hand sanitizer, think of what it means to be resilient in general. What planning will safeguard you against the broadest range of possible events?
A good first step is to increase your adaptability. Keep your options open and have back-up plans.
For example, strive for multiple sources of income and an emergency fund. Even if the cash isn’t needed, disasters often create investment opportunities.
Resiliency is also about mental toughness. Options alone will help in this regard; you won’t be stressed knowing you have alternate plans to fall back on. But the way we process negative events is also key. As such, you may want to purposefully introduce small amounts of adversity into your life.
adversity allows us to become better rounded, richer in experience, and to strengthen our inner resources.
We can use this latest experience to grow and better prepare for next time – just don’t expect next time to look the same.
More cold, more calories
Activating brown fat can help you burn 15% more calories. What’s the best way to activate brown fat? Cold exposure. Try experimenting with cold showers, ice baths, or simply going outside in cold weather.
People with brown fat may burn 15% more calories | Neuroscience News
Optimize your caffeine intake
Running on little to no sleep but still need to be alert? This is a common scenario for shift workers, and caffeine is often how we compensate. But are we getting the maximum benefit?
The U.S. military has developed an algorithm that tells you how to maximize alertness while minimizing caffeine consumption. A couple of examples:
- Getting by on five hours of sleep a night? You might need to consume the equivalent of two cups of weak coffee when you wake up – followed by another two cups, four hours later.
- Getting reasonable amounts of sleep, but you’re working an overnight shift? You’d be best off drinking a quick two cups of weak coffee right at the start of your shift.
- Not expecting to sleep much at all for more than a day or two? Try two cups of coffee at “midnight, 4 a.m., and 8 a.m.”
After 10 Years Studying Sleep, the U.S. Military Just Revealed Something Eye-Opening About Caffeine | Inc.
Chair Trigger
How much time do you spend sitting? Think of all the “chairs” you use in the run of a day.
- The chair where you do your work
- The chair where you eat your meals
- The chair where you relax to watch TV or read
- The chair you commute to and from work in
Modern workers spend as much as 15 hours per day sitting. Do you think an hour of intense exercise a few times a week is enough to combat the effects of such a sedentary lifestyle? Some research suggests not.
A potential remedy: Get creative about incorporating intermittent, or “trigger” workouts into your day. Considering we’re not even through the first wave of coronavirus yet, public gyms may not be a good idea. Try this experiment instead.
Trigger workouts: The intermittent workout method that could transform the way you exercise | Precision Nutrition
Excessive daytime sleepiness
Unsurprisingly, shift workers are more prone to daytime sleepiness than regular workers. But it turns out we’re also at higher risk than people with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).
Prevalence of excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) in working-age individuals:
- 37.1% of regular workers
- 40.7% of patients with OSA
- 60.7% of shift workers
What recommendation did the researchers have for reducing EDS? Sleep hygiene education for companies’ workers and management.
When was the last time your employer provided shift-work-specific sleep hygiene education?
The prevalence of excessive sleepiness is higher in shift workers than in patients with obstructive sleep apnea | Journal of Sleep Research
Can you make up for lost sleep?
If you don’t hit your optimal sleep quota for a night or two, don’t sweat it. You can pay back short-term sleep debt fairly quickly. Chronic sleep deprivation, however, is a different story. To fight it, you’ll need to make lasting changes that help you get quality sleep on a regular basis.
Late Nights Have You Racking Up “Sleep Debt”? Can You Catch Up? | Greatist
Stay healthy-
Jason Glenn