Mental agility: the skill of 2021

As we all learned over the course of 2020, life can throw us curveballs. We can’t predict everything that will come our way, and we can’t plan for every scenario. This time last year, I’m sure few of us could have imagined what was in store. So when things change in a way we weren’t expecting, how do we take it in stride to ensure the most positive outcome?

In 2021, I believe mental agility will be one of the key skills needed for success as we continue navigating an uncertain future, and will be a great asset in the workplace in particular. Mental agility is the capacity to respond to events in a flexible way and be able to move quickly between different ideas. If you’re mentally agile, you can take in change and find the best course of action to move forward despite unpredictable events. It’s not about having all the answers - but about being confident that you can figure out a new way of doing things to get where you want to go.

Mental agility is linked to an area of research called psychological flexibility. Studies have shown that those that have higher levels of psychological flexibility are less likely to be depressed, anxious or stressed and more likely to report well-being in general because of the way they think about situations and how they choose to respond to events. 

When it comes to thriving in uncertainty, it can be tricky to know where to start. Check out this IGTV coaching video for some pointers on how to navigate uncertainty and change effectively:

2021 is still filled with unknowns. Here are five ways we can use mental agility to thrive in uncertainty.

Accept the situation

Sometimes things happen that throw us off course - 2020 is a great example of that. If it's a change that we’re unhappy about, it’s natural to want to fight against it. However, when the situation is beyond our control, the first thing to do is simply accept the new circumstances we find ourselves in. This isn’t always easy, and it’s OK to process emotions around major shifts in order to get to that acceptance, but the important thing is to acknowledge that we need to move forward in a different way.

Stop and think

We often react quickly and emotionally to unexpected events, which sometimes leads us to act in ways that aren’t useful. If you can give yourself some space and time to think before doing anything, it can mean that you approach the situation more strategically. Take at least a few moments to breathe, take in what is going on around you, and ensure your response is appropriate to the situation and not just an automatic panic reaction.

Get creative 

It’s easy to fall back on using tried and tested ways of dealing with problems but this isn’t always the best solution. Brainstorm ideas, seek out differing opinions, and think about all the different courses of action you could take to solve the issue. Consider various possible scenarios and how you could respond to each. If you can, test new approaches and see what works best for you. Sometimes, doing what you’ve always done will end up being the right move, but examining whether you could do things differently will get you in the habit of looking at situations from different angles, which is useful for building your mental agility in the long run.

Have a growth mindset

Believing that you can always continue to learn and develop - even if you’re an expert in your field - helps you keep growing, stay ahead of the competition, and understand what you can do to up your game. A growth mindset is key to mental agility, as it will ensure you regularly challenge your perspective and come up with innovative ways to tackle challenges. It will also help you to view failures as learning opportunities. Not everything you do will always work the first time, but it could be a step in the right direction and you’ll learn something from the experience.

Focus on support

If you’ve seen some of my other videos in the Mindset Matters series, you may know that I talk a lot about support - I think it’s one of the most underrated parts of resilience. Building a support network can be challenging in a virtual world, when how we work, socialise and interact with other people has changed so drastically. But having someone to bounce ideas off of, debrief with, or simply who can lend a listening ear (whether that’s a colleague, friend or mentor), can help you work through a problem and decide how to respond to an event.

Check out this IGTV coaching video for tips to boost your mental agility:

Knowing how important mental agility is for overcoming periods of difficulty and change, is there anything we can do to increase it within ourselves? Here are a few concrete tips.

1) Write down as many approaches as you can: When something happens that requires you to rethink your path forward, focus on working through all possible ways of responding to the situation and put them on paper. Think not only about what you would do, but about how others might respond. Challenge yourself to write as many solutions as you can think of within 30 minutes. Doing this will flex your problem solving muscles and help you see options more clearly. 

2) Protect your mental energy: Think about what you need to help boost your energy throughout the day and how you can work it into your life. This will be individual to you - maybe it’s getting out for some exercise early every morning, taking a lunchtime nap, or relaxing every evening by watching a TV show or reading a good book. Some things might not always be in your control, but there are always small things you can do to inject an energy boost into your routine.

3) Learn from the past to direct your future: Look back at how you have responded to challenges in the past - this is probably something many of us have had plenty of practice with in 2020. What did you do well and what could you do better in the future? Is there anything you would replicate or change about your reactions and behaviour? Write your thoughts down so that you can go back and look at your notes later.

4) Review and refine: Once a week as you’re working through challenges, take some time to reflect and jot down what has gone well, what hasn’t, and what you’d like to do in the future. This shouldn’t take a long time - while the above is a greater reflection exercise, this should be simple, just a few lines focusing on the here and now. Putting pen to paper will help you understand the situation, boost your self-awareness, and visualise how you can improve.

Your mental agility

How have you had to be adaptable since living and working through a pandemic? Is mental agility something you're focusing on in 2021?

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Instagram: Gemma Leigh Roberts

Mindset Matters is a series of LinkedIn articles to help you thrive in your career.

Ready to take the next step and build your resilience? Join the "10 Days of Resilience" (launching January 2021) at Resilience Edge.