Times have been hard on all of us. Some things are entirely out of our hands, and life is unlike anything we have experienced or even believed possible. Our thoughts and emotions play an influential role in handling hardship and making a massive difference in how we can adapt and grow during tough times.

What is Cognitive Agility?

Cognitive agility is our ability to adapt and shift our thought processes to lead to more positive outcomes. Our constant ability to adapt and change under stress and during tough times allows us to grow. We can better understand what cognitive agility is and understand it when observing people going through tough times. Some people grow and adapt to those changes, while others seem to get stuck. The people who have learned to grow and adapt are the ones with better cognitive agility.

Why is Cognitive Agility Important? 

Cognitive agility doesn’t just apply to pandemic situations; some professions and people experience this every day. For example, think of a fighter pilot who is in flight. Their environment is continually changing, such as drops in air pressure, the target’s potions, and what’s inside and outside their field of vision. This fighter pilot’s survival is based on whether they can make accurate judgments and adapt to the changes. Fighter pilots undergo rigorous training to prepare for their flights and have developed a high cognitive agility level that feels like second nature to them.

While you might not be a fighter pilot or someone who goes through those kinds of stressful situations, we will all experience challenging times in our lives. This is one of the reasons why improving your cognitive agility can be so beneficial!

How Can I Improve My Cognitive Agility? 

Cognitive agility is what makes us feel less anxious in otherwise anxious situations. It can help alleviate that anxiety and keep you from being stressed. This will allow you to assess your current situation better and have more control over what comes your way. Not being able to adapt can cause you to make hasty decisions or bad decisions for yourself and those around you. So here are some ways you can improve your cognitive agility.

●  Recognize your cognitive biases: Things often don’t appear as we feel like they do. Our emotions, experiences, and biases help shape the way we see the world. This means that recognizing those biases can help you better adapt to the situation in front of you.

●  Pay attention to your mind: Pay attention to how things are making you think and feel. Know your limitations and think about the optimistic and pessimistic viewpoints of the situation you’re in.

●  Challenge your conclusions: If you find yourself caught up in a possible misperception, challenge your conclusion with questions. Ask yourself, is there another way to look at this? Or what would I say if someone else were in this situation?

●  Come up with better conclusions: After challenging your perception, come up with more adaptive thoughts. Change your thinking and take things from a more realistic point of view.

When we find ourselves stuck in a mindset that is holding us back, cognitive agility can help us take the next step. By identifying and recognizing how shifting your thoughts can make powerful changes in your life, you can start to use this to grow and adapt to anything life throws your way.