We live in a “VUCA” world: an environment characterized by volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity. The stakes are high and nothing seems simple or clear-cut; the effective way forward is not known. The world seems to be collapsing around us: at the macro level with a global climate crisis, right on down to the micro level, where individuals fear for their livelihoods, their safety and wellbeing, their very lives.

When faced by problems of this magnitude and gravity, one hopes for steadfast leaders who can light the way and beckon us forward. Sadly, we are now seeing highly vocal “leaders” who are themselves greedy, hateful, and corrupt. Rather than helping, they add to the murk, making difficult conditions horrifying. It seems that they have the microphone, and the rest of us are waiting for the knight in shining armor or fairy godmother to arrive.

We must wake up to the fact that no one is coming to save us. WE must save us.

The question is….how?

First and foremost, we must accept that this is a long game, and it must be simultaneously played on the personal, group, national and global levels. VUCA conditions never guarantee their outcomes, but what we know for sure is that they require us not to lose energy, focus, or heart. This takes everything we have, for as long as it takes. Whether we are talking about our families, teams, countries or world, we must build stamina and endurance to meet the big changes ahead.

Feeling exhausted and flummoxed is common in VUCA environments, and resilience is the antidote. While we may be in a continual state of “not knowing,” being able to re-orient and bounce back—over and over and over again—is key.

What follows will be my observations and recommendations about resilience; this is the first in a 3 part series about how to be resilient in a VUCA world.

I’ll start with defining what I see as the Pillars of Resilience, and explore how we might strengthen them. This is very much a model in progress, and I’m not convinced I understand this fully myself, but for now I’m thinking that these are the Pillars of Resilience:

1. Self-care
2. Energy management
3. Connection

[If you think there are more, please share with the rest of us! Seriously.]

Self-Care

Up until recently, if you read about self-care in mainstream media, you would learn what I have come to think about as “Self-Care Lite.” There would be a nod to the fact that we live in a society of over-stimulated, over-extended, under-exercised, poorly-nourished, sleep-deprived people who really ought to do something about it. I’m not saying that these articles and posts aren’t true, but underneath it all, they signal that this is just life and there’s nothing to be done. Readers sigh, and continue on with the notion that although self-care is nice, it’s not really all that important or achievable.

And the truth is, it is not achievable if you keep doing what you’ve always done. The paradigm shift we must embrace is this: SELF-CARE IS MANDATORY. No matter who you are or what your circumstances, you are going to expire unless you get the oxygen mask on yourself first. Read this paragraph again, and really take it in.

Taking good care of ourselves encompasses a variety of activities that improve physical, psychological, emotional, spiritual, interpersonal, and professional health. (There are a number of “lists of self-care activities” online; although not exhaustive by any means, one I like is https://postgrad.med.ubc.ca/2014/10/30/components-of-a-self-care-practice/.)

But if I were forced to choose the most important self-care activity, it would be sleep. Sleep is foundational to thinking clearly, to having enough energy to meet the demands of your day, and, it is critical to weight control, if that is of concern to you. Adequate sleep is NOT a nice-to-have, it is required. If you need more persuasion than I just provided, please watch this excellent TEDtalk on the subject: https://www.ted.com/talks/matt_walker_sleep_is_your_superpower?language=en#t-293866

But even with compelling arguments in favor of better sleep and more attention to other aspects of self-care, there are those who resist, protesting, “I don’t have TIME!” My answer is, we all get the same number of hours in a day, and we all make decisions about how to allocate that time. Only YOU can decide that your self-care is more important than the other tasks vying for your attention.

In the last year, I’ve taken my average nightly sleep hours from 6.25 to 7.5 hours. This meant that I had to DECIDE not to watch Netflix, answer emails, or play around on social media. Some nights it meant not going for an evening walk, or not hanging out with people I love. There IS enough time in a day to sleep 7.5 hours, but I had to decide that it was my highest priority.

It is also true that there are not enough hours a day to do everything you want to do, every day. So you must decide, in any given day, what is most important to you. Is it resting? Connecting with others? Spending a little more time savoring a delicious meal? Moving your body? Working a little bit extra on an important project?

We have GOT to get more conscious about how we spend time because otherwise we fritter away our precious energy. And without energy, we can’t be resilient.

I urge you to decide that your self-care matters. I urge you to assess on a daily basis what you need in order to steward your wellbeing, and then, DO IT. Resilience is the linch pin for surviving our volatile times, and self-care is a major element of resilience.

Whether or how you care for yourself is your decision–but be clear, no one can do it for you. As poet June Jordan said, “We are the ones we have been waiting for.”