Building Inner Resilience to Lead Through the Metacrisis

To comprehend the risk landscape - current, emerging, strategic foresight, you have to sit with some very complex issues. Sooner or later the concepts stop being abstract, they become personal.

Since learning of the metacrisis, I had been reading, researching, learning from a wide range of thought leaders including scientists, Indigenous elders, technologists, academics, spiritualists, regenerative practitioners, activists, and the people quietly taking action on the ground.

The more I read and observed, the more real the implications and timelines felt.  By this stage I was on an emotional rollercoaster, anger and frustration that soon turned to fear, grief and sadness. 

What I have learnt over the past few years is that the best response to combat these feelings is to act. Any action. Just do something. 

I’m choosing to share this personal journey because several of my contacts and friends are feeling overwhelmed with the state of things. Some have stopped watching the news entirely because it's too much.  The research supports this anecdotal feedback.  It’s not just the few, it’s the many who are feeling this sense of dread.  Climate, AI, cost of living, housing affordability and availability, the fight for democracy, growing inequity …

I have been building internal resilience strategies to withstand it.  When we build internal resilience, we can show up in the world for others. “Put your own air mask on first before you help anyone else”.

Each action I took felt like I was doing something positive.  Each step in that direction gave me the encouragement to try a little more.  It looks and feels different for everyone, for me it’s about consuming less, slowing down and being more intentional, using my hands in practical ways like growing vegetables, spending time in nature, building community that supports and inspires, choosing to focus on what is needed versus what no longer serves us, doing purposeful work, and learning new skills.

Doing this ‘work’ from the inside out is not easy.  I am an ‘all in’ kind of gal, so for me it’s led to a rearchitecting of who I am, my sense of purpose and how I want to be of service in the world.  For some it might be making better-informed consumer decisions.  There is no right or wrong way to this work. 

It starts with asking the questions, staying curious and holding the discomfort. It’s also not quick.  I feel I’ve only just started and I’m a few years in.  This work will continue until I pass. 

Why does this matter for risk and resilience practitioners?  Because we're the ones at the front line of the metacrisis, and our job isn't just to inform.  It's to create the space for our leaders to reflect, even when what surfaces for them isn't "what does this mean for the organisation?" but potentially "what does this mean for me?".  To do that, you need to build your own resilience first. 

What does agency look like in your own life right now?