Adapt or perish, now as ever, is nature’s inexorable imperative. H.G. Wells, English writer.
Whatever your loss—mother, husband, child, leg, sight, home, health—you must learn to adapt in order to survive and thrive. Marilyn Zosia, cofounder and president of I Am Adaptive, asks that we reframe “disability” as “adaptation.” Zosia, who survived a traumatic brain injury, is empowering a global community of athletes to pursue their unique potential for mobility and fitness.
I suggest that we reframe all loss, not just physical, to encompass the concept of “I am adapting.” Considering ourselves to be “adapting to life without our mother” rather than “I’m so broken, I may never stop grieving,” is affirming our power to adapt rather than giving our power away in exchange for a life of despair. Words matter.
Affirmation: I can adapt.
Coaching questions: In what areas of your life do you need to work on adaptation? Where have you demonstrated success in adapting to life changes in the past?
Life after losing a mother 