Recap
As these have been big series here on EDI lately, I am going to just recap what has been covered thus far.
Flickr.com: L. Filipe dos Santos
The Enviraikido series was laying the groundwork (pun intended) in presenting the concept of human terroir. Complex systems have a reality that comes into being through that observer/observed interactions. The scientific regime of existence does not include the observer in what gives rise to facts. The terroir regime of existence is a collectivity of facts that are (through disagreement and doubt) agreed upon and influenced by the observers of that system.
The human terroir framework allows for someone with a chronic illness to move away from inevitable disappointments associated with the hard science of if/then interfaces in treatment or attempts at restoring health, and to move towards observation of the system as a whole. Specifically, to become much better at understanding the uniqueness of your own human terroir and that unexpected responses to one-size-fits-all intervention and treatment should not only be expected but perhaps better anticipated (as you get better at knowing your own terroir).
This series has been about how you prepare for, and start to practice, the active observer role within your human terroir. The purpose of doing all of this is…well what is the purpose?
Laying it Out
We looked at the mirror neuron module and some studies that suggest we need to be careful when we watch videos that we do not get caught in the trap that seeing feels like doing. Consume with care if it is meant to help you adopt new skills:
1. Set aside time to practice
2. Start small
3. Engage in mixed practice (watch a bit then try a bit then go back to watch again).
And we also learned that an implementation intention needs to be developed if you would like to set a goal and meet it. Specifically, it is important to pay attention to how you can maintain the pursuit of your goal in the face of unwanted influences.
Then we went over to a 4-step process for learning more about your terroir so that you could create a better space for undertaking any goal setting efforts.
The steps were:
1. Evaluate self as concept and self as habit.
2. Determine whether self as concept has harder or softer borders.
3. Determine how much self as habit must be upgraded.
4. Prepare for the plan.
We looked at how self as habit and self-concept are both often starkly at odds with body/mind at the onset of a diagnosis or chronic condition.
Self is constructed through habit and habit is both individual and social (or collective) in its expression. Self-concept is essentially the emphasis and meaning we will place on our habitual modes of being to create what we experience as a stable “true self.”
New habits help to construct a new self-concept.
Hard borders in your self-concept may require of you that you create a narrative for the split from who you believe yourself to be and what the mind/body is now experiencing in illness. Focus attention on the habits you should adopt to better support the integration of the illness or the easing of the symptoms as the case may be. Your path to change will be different if your terroir has hard borders for a self-concept.
Wherever you are at with your borders around self-concept allow for the possibility of change to remain an open option and then focus on new habit development. Allow for new habits to be the bridge between self as process and the reconstruction of self-concept, as Charmaz pointed out.
Consider that what you take as a stable self-concept has a far broader range than you will likely have thought possible. Even in times of stress, such as navigating a chronic illness, your range might be narrowed but it has not been eradicated. You can be more extraverted if you happen to be an introvert; you can be more open to new experiences, or more confident. These shifts also arise out of habits. They will be the habits you decide upon and then chose to implement and practice.
And finally, you prime the schemas for change, adventurousness, flexibility, openness to experience. It may involve reading about adventurous people, writing about adventures, reflecting on your own adventurous past, surrounding yourself with visual and written reminders of the potential of what change brings…etc.
Get Your Goals On
Now it is time to pick the new habit you want that aligns with the mind/body needs you have, no matter how your self-concept might sit with it right at this moment.
What is the habit you need to adopt?
How will you practice this habit?
How will you protect your ability to practice this habit against influences that will undermine it?
What will you choose to consume (videos, writings, books, podcasts) that will teach you more about practicing this habit? How will you integrate what you learn from these things?
What ritual will you use to enact self-compassion when you fail so that you can return to immediate practice and integration of what the failure has taught you?
What tools will you use to track your progress (this can be calendar reminders, apps, or just a notepad)?
At what point in the future (30, 60, 90 days) will you formally take stock?
This would involve rating how integrated you feel the habit is in your life now, what changes you think this might have generated in self as habit and self-concept, and any other markers you believe are relevant for assessing your success.
Remember that you will have fails and that is why you should identify your self-compassion/get back on the horse ritual or process ahead of a failure so that you do not get too bogged down especially if you are someone who is prone to thinking that a failure is something to be punished. It is something to be curious about and interested in – what is there to learn here?
Also this may seem like one heckuva process just to start adding full cream in your coffee every day, or swapping out early morning exercise routines with a full breakfast instead, or having the kids make their own breakfast so that you can get better sleep each night. But in fact, it is only a bit of up-front planning work and then that will allow for it to be on rails from that point forward.