Everything was fine until it wasn't...

The tragedy came in an instant. It came out of nowhere and changed my life forever. The life changing event can occur in many forms (weather related, major health issue, etc.) That is how the scenarios unravel daily in the world and over our entire lifetime. A sobering yet horrifying understanding about tragedy is that it has an impact on us all. Re-framing those occurrences can help to make a significant difference in adjusting to our personal situation while functioning in the present moment whether in our professional and personal lives.

Take this journey with me. Let’s take a look at the human body. Our body regulates itself automatically. It normally maintains an average body temperature of somewhere around 98.5 degrees Fahrenheit. However, if your core temperature experiences a four degree drop, hypothermia begins.

Being prior military, I have lived in various locations and experienced high as well as low temperatures all over this planet. For the record, most people can reasonably assume that 110 degrees is hot, period. Now, consider the climate as body adjusts to become acclimated to the current conditions. While stationed in Saudi Arabia I experienced extreme temperatures from day to night time dropping 20-30 degrees. All I can say is that it was a mind blowing experience when I had to put on a thick winter coat in 85 degree temperature. Or then again, was it that mind blowing considering the facts. The core temperature was obviously impacted.

More importantly, the first time I experienced this phenomenon it was somewhat shocking. The second time I experienced it, I realized I had a choice… I could allow the experience to do one of two things:

1) I could have gone out of my way to avoid the outside weather as much as possible by limiting my exposure outside and avoid it at all costs or

2) I could have acknowledged the changes that I was experiencing and adjusted (putting on a winter jacket) to compensate and slowly become desensitized/acclimated to it over time. Either way my thoughts about the situation would change my behavior over time.

The parallels of how the body responds to extreme conditions (tragedy) in weather/climate conditions are quite similar to how our body responds to extreme conditions (tragedy) in the human relations climate.

When you are faced with a tragedy in life, the decisions you make as you move forward will have a direct impact on the adjustments you develop and implement. You can avoid addressing/acknowledging the tragedy and constantly seek ways to avoid it at all costs. However, a healthier choice is to acknowledge what has occurred, and re frame/redirect your energy to address the negative effects caused by the tragedy. Over time it will lessen the impact leading you to enjoy the benefits of overcoming the challenges and actively reassuring yourself that you can continue your journey.