Inner Feedback for Personal Resilience
Feedback can be very helpful for personal wellbeing and resilience.
Feedback is a common process in the natural world, and a version of it called ‘inner feedback’ can be very helpful for personal wellbeing and resilience. When an individual notices an internal symptom or a signal that’s taking them off-course, they can make an adjustment. Paying attention to ‘inner feedback’ can prevent individuals from getting overwhelmed, feeling ‘out of control,’ or burning out.
Feedback is a common process in the natural world, and a version of it called 'inner feedback' can be very helpful for personal wellbeing and resilience. When an individual notices an internal symptom or a signal that’s taking them off-course, they can make an adjustment. Paying attention to ‘inner feedback’ can prevent individuals from getting overwhelmed, feeling ‘out of control,’ or burning out.
Examples include:
●a cyclist steering a bicycle away from the edge of the pavement
●a captain correcting a ship's course
●the switch that turns off an electric kettle before it over boils.
Regular time for reflection can help individuals to notice ‘inner feedback’ and to make timely adjustments. Ways to notice 'inner feedback' include:
●taking time to pause, breathe deeply, or rest
●taking time for 'being' rather than 'doing'
●taking time in nature
●declining certain opportunities or activities in order to facilitate personal wellbeing.
Examples of individual inner feedback:
| Negative | Positive | |
|---|---|---|
| Physical symptoms | headache | vigor |
| Physical symptoms | dizziness | focus |
| Physical symptoms | breathlessness | excitement |
| Physical symptoms | illness | wellness |
| Physical symptoms | nausea | nourishment |
| Physical symptoms | fatigue | vitality |
| Physical symptoms | clumsiness | capability |
| Physical symptoms | tension | ease |
| Emotional signals | anxiety | courage |
| Emotional signals | doubt | certainty |
| Emotional signals | anger | calmness |
| Emotional signals | frustration | gratitude |
| Emotional signals | envy | satisfaction |
| Emotional signals | sadness | happiness |
| Emotional signals | apathy | empathy |
| Emotional signals | numbness | aliveness |
| Mental symptoms | stress | flow |
| Mental symptoms | depression | engagement |
| Mental symptoms | bitterness | lightness |
| Mental symptoms | confusion | clarity |
| Mental symptoms | pessimism | optimism |
| Mental symptoms | miserliness | generosity |
| Mental symptoms | unkind thoughts | kindly thoughts |
| Worldview signals | aimlessness | purpose |
| Worldview signals | lack of value | value |
| Worldview signals | disconnection | connection |
| Worldview signals | lack of meaning | meaning |
| Worldview signals | scarcity | abundance |
| Worldview signals | nihilism | holism |
| Worldview signals | ruthlessness | wholeheartedness |
Paying attention to 'Inner feedback' can contribute to personal wellbeing and resilience.Many individuals take time to discern and reflect about 'inner feedback' before deciding on an appropriate response or adjustment. It can take some practice to be able to notice all the subtleties. Try continuing to notice any inner signals that may benefit from a course correction. This is a good pathway toward personal health, wellbeing, and resilience.
Inner feedback can provide insight about changing “how” an individual does things, or their habitual patterns. This can ultimately affect “what” someone achieves, their goals and outcomes. This may also affect individuals' attitudes or behaviours, how they change over time, and how they may choose to continue participating. Ideally a group will grow in a way that assists individuals to develop trust, skills, and resilience while contributing to a group's effectiveness, harmony, and longevity.
Reflection questions for individuals:
Safety.
How safe do I feel to express myself? To represent a different viewpoint or to disagree with others?
Resilience.
When I get stressed, how do I take care of myself? How much support can I ask for?
Boundaries.
How often do I say “no” to projects, work, or activities? How much pressure do I feel,from myself or from others, to say “yes” and give more time and energy?
Pacing.
Do I feel a good balance of giving to and receiving from this project? How long can I keep going at my present rate of activity – 1 month, 3 months, a year?
Satisfaction.
How do I know that I'm “doing enough”? What personal practices help me to discern and to respect my accomplishments and my limitations?
Process.
How much do I trust this group's process? How strong are my relationships with the people involved?
Purpose.
How connected do I feel to the overall aims of this project? How is my participation in the project serving me? What adjustments might improve my sense of meaning or purpose?
Related resources: References
Self-Care Guides x6
Respecting ‘Yes’ and ‘No’
Action Reflection Cycle
Task-Process-Relationship
Group and Personal Sustainability
This document, prepared by Claire Milne and Root Cuthbertson, is released under
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Graphic used: Flaticon.com
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