^One of the most famous phrases attributed to Albert Einstein is, "The measure of genius is the ability to change." It is more accurate than ever in today's swiftly changing world.

Change is unavoidable, and we must be prepared to navigate it successfully. And, like so many other things, change may travel in both positive and harmful directions. We are practically sure to experience disaster and failure if we fail to manage the stormy seas of change in the proper way.

We will surely grow more clever, insightful, and adaptable as we learn to maneuver through life's changes. To thrive in life and conquer the challenges that come your way, you'll need perception, assessment, and adaptability. When presented with a difference, intelligence is tested by making adjustments and changing subsequent actions accordingly.

When we change, we develop and become wiser in the process. Humans generally thrive on change and expansion, but they might have many inner or outward factors to change.

Trying to maintain everything the same is not only unhealthy but also impossible. You are misinterpreting human traits and thriving if you avoid change.

Adaptability and Workplace

The way we work, live, and interact with one another is changing dramatically. Unprecedented rates of change have emerged from extraordinary technological developments in automation and artificial intelligence, disruptive innovation, and globalisation. As a result, leaders in the business sector are continually rethinking how their companies create value and stay relevant in an unpredictable climate. 

Furthermore, the future of employment is continuously evolving. Technological improvements have decreased the expiry date of staff talents to the point where a typical corporate capability is only relevant for 4.2 years, down from 30 years in 1984. According to the World Economic Forum, 65 per cent of present employment will be obsolete by the time today's primary school students reach the workforce.

What is the adaptability Quotient?

The capacity to decide what is relevant, discard obsolete information, overcome hurdles, and respond to change in real-time is known as the Adaptability Quotient (AQ). Those with a high AQ exhibit the following characteristics:

• Open-mindedness. They actively manage their unconscious prejudices to remain receptive to new ideas.
• They go out of their way to perceive things from other people's viewpoints.
• They place a high value on acquiring new skills and investing in their education to better prepare themselves for an unpredictable future.
  

Adaptable leaders and staff are better suited to meet their company's changing and growing demands – and they're in great demand.

"Adaptability is the quality that distinguishes the survivor from the perished." - Charles Darwin

How can adaptability be developed?

Years of practice responding carefully to problems as they emerge are required for adaptability. You have the power to influence your team and propel your company ahead as a leader. Adaptability, like emotional intelligence, may be increased and enhanced.

• Model the high-AQ behaviour you want your workers to emulate. For example, leaders who adopt the pacesetting leadership style may increase their team's AQ by displaying flexibility and encouraging team members to alter and update their abilities. This will aid in the creation of a stress-resilient and change-adaptive environment.
• Take charge of your educational path. Recognise the importance of continuing your education. Assume responsibility for your education, and you will increase marketability for years to come.
• Decide which positions you want to pursue depending on how much you can learn. Then, make future opportunities to learn critical new skills a priority.

What is agile, and how is it more effective in bringing adaptability to you?

The three pillars of Agile are quality, speed, and value. It encourages people to risk discovering new ideas and developing them with the least amount of danger possible. It's a cycle that starts with an idea and ends with a worthwhile result. It encourages people to take the risk of generating new ideas and developing them with the slightest danger of failure. 

A group of people may work together to develop an idea, correct errors, and make it worthwhile. The possibilities are designed, and duties are shared after the concept is conceived. As a result, more than one team would be working on the idea, each with their skill level in a specific area. If a mistake occurs, only the team assigned to it will reprogram it, saving time and energy for the others.

Three tips to help you develop the mindset to adapt to change: 

Recognise change

One of the most challenging aspects of the process is recognising and embracing change—one of the first things we do as humans are to deny reality. As a result, we frequently ignore the shift to avoid dealing with it, or so we believe. But, on the other hand, denying or postponing this problem may make it worse and more unpleasant than just embracing it from the outset. 

It's critical to acknowledge that change is occurring and to attempt to emotionally and, if possible, physically prepare ourselves for it! Recognising and embracing change is a crucial part of the transformation process.

Maintain a positive attitude

Consider the change in a good light. Rather than focusing solely on the bad, write or speak about why this change could benefit you and any other benefits that may result from it. In times of despair, being optimistic is crucial and an excellent tactic. In any scenario, there are positives, and it is up to you to locate them. 

Ignore your negative feelings about the shift and concentrate on the good, even if only for a short while. This upbeat outlook can assist you in getting through it!

Talk about it

Make a phone call to your best buddy. Speak with a member of your family. Speak with a therapist. It doesn't matter who you talk to, as long as you find someone you can trust and tell them everything. It's critical to express your feelings and discuss them with someone you can trust and rely on. It is a sign of strength, not weakness; to know yourself well enough to recognise that you require support is a sign of strength, not weakness.

This support system may also provide the tools you need to overcome or better adjust to the shift. They can also bring a fresh viewpoint to the problem, which may or may not be beneficial, which is also OK!

Conclusion

Remember, change is unavoidable, and it affects everyone! What distinguishes it is how you respond to the change. And don't be concerned if it takes you longer than someone else; you're all on your road! It takes time to adjust, but if you stay optimistic and open-minded, you will succeed.

^We recently conducted a survey of the young to middle-aged urban population and found alarming rates of sleep deprivation. Only a quarter of the respondents were getting 8 hours of sleep, and the majority of them indicated waking up tired and needing more rest. 

Besides being essential to life and survival, sleeping affects our mind body soul. Counting sheep is not as simple as closing your eyes and closing your eyes.

Neuroscientists define sleep as a state of active unconsciousness, in which the brain is in a state of relative rest and is reacting primarily to internal stimuli. Simply put, it is a state where the body slows down in almost all departments, none more so than the brain.

Why do we sleep?

It may sound strange, but we still don't know exactly why humans and other animals sleep. A variety of theories are being proposed in current research, including the Inactivity theory, the Restoration theory, the Energy conservation theory, and the Brain plasticity theory. 

It has been found that muscles repair themselves, tissues grow, proteins are synthesised, and growth hormones are released predominantly during sleep. The body has decreased metabolism by up to 10% during sleep. During sleep, the brain's structure and function are reorganised and grown.

Stages of sleep

There are essentially four stages of sleep – 3 stages of Non-Rapid Eye Movement, Sleep, and Rapid Eye Movement. These stages typically occur in 90 to 120-minute cycles. The body ideally needs 3 to 4 such cycles for restful rebuilding.

How much Should we sleep?

Now, this is a tricky question. The importance of sleep in infants' and children's brain development explains why infants need to sleep upwards of 14 hours a day. Geriatric patients can swing from managing with 5 to 6 hours a day or needing nearly 12 hours of sleep as age advances.

A minimum of 6 to 8 hours of sleep is recommended for adults in order to maintain excellent emotional wellness. This includes a majority of it as interrupted night sleep with an optional power nap during the day; and no more than 9 to 10 hours of sleep.

"Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise." - Benjamin Franklin

Problems associated with sleep deprivation

What we do know for sure is that chronic sleep deprivation has tremendous effects on mood, productivity, immunity, and metabolism. 

In addition to an increase in the frequency and severity of infections, chronic sleep deprivation has been linked to a number of other health problems, including depression, anxiety, obesity, diabetes, heart attacks, and strokes, as well as reduced fertility rates and mental disorders.

What is insomnia?

Photo by Sander Sammy on Unsplash

Insomnia is defined as difficulty falling or staying asleep accompanied by daytime impairments related to those sleep troubles.=

It can be of two types - chronic insomnia disorder and short-term insomnia.

Insomnia, whether short-term or chronic, has certain symptoms in common. There are different types of sleep issues associated with those symptoms, including those related to nighttime sleep when a person experiences at least one of those types of sleep issues:

• Sleeping problems
• Not able to lead happy healthy life.
• Not being able to stay asleep through the night
• Getting up too early in the morning
• Teenagers and children who resist sleeping at bedtime
• Children and teens who have difficulty sleeping on their own (without the assistance of a caregiver)

There are also several daytime symptoms related to sleeping problems that must be present as well:

• Tiredness
• Memory or attention problems
• Working, studying, or socially performing poorly
• Mood disturbances or irritability
• Feeling sleepy
• Hyperactivity or aggression are examples of behavioural issues
• Motivation has decreased
• Accidents or mistakes occurring more frequently
• Sleep concerns or dissatisfaction

For chronic insomnia to occur, symptoms must be present three times per week for a minimum of three months. Short-term insomnia is characterised by less frequent episodes and less than three months of symptoms.

Having difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep is not explicitly defined in the diagnostic criteria for insomnia. Adults may suffer from insomnia if they take longer than 30 minutes to fall asleep or are awake during the night for more than 30 minutes (20 minutes for children).

Causes

Recognising why you are not sleeping well is essential to treating the problem.

• Lack of opportunity to sleep or a disruptive sleep environment. Poor socioeconomic status, cramped living, small children, or dependents needing care.
• Medical disorders like Prostatomegaly or Diabetes causing frequent urination, OSA or sleep apnea, aches and pains, acid reflux disorder, thyroid disorder, etc
• Sleep procrastination syndrome - it's the only me time and free time you get. So you keep scrolling mindlessly through social media sites and videos and articles.
• Screen time: Most of our survey participants were on a screen minutes before sleep. Melatonin, an important sleep hormone, is regulated by the brightness of light falling on your retina. Gadget screens thus keep pushing the brain into an active state.
• Anxiety - generalised, work-related, social, emotional. We all live in overloaded, busy, and stressful times.
• Just not enough time due to work and travel.

All of us will be sleepless on some occasions or through certain phases of life. Recognise the issue and embark on a holistic approach toward solving it. Disciplined screen time, a more natural unwinding schedule, fixed waking hours, appropriate meals and meal times, and adequate exercise are some of the first steps we must take. 

Diagnosing and treating underlying medical disorders with a physician's help comes next. Then, if need be, some pharmacological support. Emotional, social, financial, and even generalised anxiety shouldn’t be ignored. 

An overwhelming majority of our respondents (primarily 25-40-year-olds) stated work and work-related anxieties as major obstacles to adequate sleep. Emotional anxieties were a close second. Therefore, workplace wellness programs are more than necessary to help employees. 

If only a fourth of our young, upwardly dynamic population are waking up naturally and feeling fresh, there is definitely something afoot that doesn’t augur well for the future. So pull up your eye masks and switch off the lights! Enough of hand sanitisers. It's time for some sleep hygiene.

Good luck and Good night!