Brain Food #491
Surge capacity
Thoughts of the day
The term ‘surge capacity’ is commonly used in the medical world, describing the ability of a hospital to manage a sudden influx of patients. But, in a recent essay I came across, journalist Tara Haelle describes a different type of surge capacity, a human ability pinpointed by psychologist Ann Masten:
Surge capacity is a collection of adaptive systems — mental and physical — that humans draw on for short-term survival in acutely stressful situations, such as natural disasters.
Masten claims that surge capacity is not infinite and can therefore be depleted, and needs time to be renewed. But in the case of ongoing uncertainty, where life refuses to go in the direction we expect it to, or any direction at all, the chance to renew it never arrives. In short, despite the immense human capacity to adapt, we cannot carry on adapting forever without a break to recharge. Trying to carry on as normal, when the world is anything but, is simply being too hard on ourselves.
In the face of ongoing trouble, to maintain our surge capacity we can follow many approaches to cope, but the ones that stand out seem to be: expect less of the world, and less of ourselves.
To learn how to live off balance, as Haelle writes in the closing lines of her essay:
“Our new normal is always feeling a little off-balance, like trying to stand in a dinghy on rough seas, and not knowing when the storm will pass. But humans can get better at anything with practice, so at least I now have some ideas for working on my sea legs.”
This sensation of being off-balance, like a ship in stormy waters, could also explain why painters throughout history have been fascinated by such imagery, trying to capture it in their work. The examples are countless. Others have been there before.
Ships in a Storm on a Rocky Coast by Jan Porcellis, painted between 1614-1618
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