Are You At Surge Capacity?
Note: this article was originally written in October 2020
Rewind to mid-September and I found myself tearing up in the first hour of a weekend-long business intensive.
The event was originally meant to be held in San Diego, but had been transitioned to Zoom.
I think what triggered tears was that while everyone was trying to act like they were traveling to California and excited for virtual palm trees and beaches, as a Californian, I knew that we had been locked inside for 2 weeks under smoke, ash and pending (or real) evacuations.
In an instant, it all bubbled over.
Surge capacity had been exceeded.
Which brings me to a Medium article that I wanted to share titled Your ‘Surge Capacity’ Is Depleted — It’s Why You Feel Awful, by Tara Haelle.
It’s an excellent long read and well worth your time.
As a Sacramento based virtual naturopathic doctor focused on mental health, this concept of surge capacity is particularly interesting to me.
I thought I’d highlight a couple pieces for you in case you need the abridged highlights.
What Is Surge Capacity?
Surge capacity refers to our mental and physical adaptation systems which help us cope with disaster in the short term.
It’s that adrenaline push that allows people to run towards those afflicted in a mass shooting or to get in a boat to save people during a hurricane.
For lack of a better term, it’s the roll up your sleeves and get sh*t done period.
This is useful in acute disasters or emergencies, of course.
But what happens when the disaster stretches out for months or potentially years?
Well, you find yourself having highs and lows. Feeling motivated and then exhausted or chronically frazzled.
Or tearing up in a seemingly random moment at an online event.
Eventually, surge capacity reaches a limit.
A sentiment I can appreciate so much is psychologist Ann Masten’s question:
Why do you think you should be used to this by now? We’re all beginners at this. This is a once in a lifetime experience. It’s expecting a lot to think we’d be managing this really well.
Yes, we’re all beginners.
We’re all learning as we go.
We have good days, better days, and crappy days.
Let’s let go of the expectation that we should know how to do this.
Or that we should be doing it better.
None of us has ever faced a situation this intense, this widespread, for this prolonged a period, in living memory.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, burnt out, anxious, depressed, or more emotional than usual, it’s important to be kind to yourself.
Ambiguous Loss
Another topic the article covers is the concept of ambiguous loss.
It defines ambiguous loss as “a loss that is unclear or lacks a resolution.”
Perhaps now more than ever, that speaks to our cultural moment.
Some of us have some tangible losses as well, to be sure.
Losing loved ones, losing one’s job, one’s sense of financial security – these are all things many of us can relate to.
If you can’t relate to these personally, you likely know someone who does.
But each of those are things you can specifically point to.
They’re difficult, to be sure – sometimes devastating.
But there’s also the mundane and magnificent day to day rituals that we’ve lost.
Easing into your day at your favorite café.
Going to the movie theater to enjoy the latest flick your friends are talking about.
Blowing off some steam by going to the gym.
These little moments, sprinkled throughout our weeks, might not be terribly exciting in the way a vacation or a concert is.
But in these little moments, we can find a sense of relative peace and tranquility.
This can help us face the rigors of daily life with greater composure.
Add to that all the disruptions around school, work, and significant rituals like marriages, funerals and baptisms, and you can be left feeling that sense of ambiguous loss without even realizing the specifics of what’s causing it.
I’ve acutely felt the loss of travel, for example, and for a few months felt a loss around the ritual of weekend soccer.
Both of these were, and are, touch points I had underestimated in their ability to bring rhythm and replenishment to my life.
Ambiguous loss causes grief, and follows the same patterns, but managing it in the long term can require some creativity and different strategies.
Coping With Grief From Ambiguous Loss And Surge Capacity
There are a lot of suggestions for coping with ambiguous loss and surge capacity in the article mentioned earlier.
Below, let’s take a look at two of my favorites.
1. Practice “Both/And” Thinking
It can be easy to view things in a black and white perspective.
Either an experience is bad or it’s good.
But in reality, nothing is ever as simple as it seems on the surface.
Both/and thinking allows room for the complexities of reality to exist at the same thing.
I think this practice is powerful because it allows for some mental gymnastics and can rewrite the narrative of this, but.
For example, you may feel gratitude that your home is safe, while at the same time feel anxious that it’s not safe to go to all the places you normally enjoy.
One approach to addressing these seemingly conflicting feelings – gratitude and anxiety – is to say “I’m really struggling, but my house is safe.”
The but in that sentence feels like slamming on the brakes of your car.
It allows only a brief second to acknowledge your anxiety, before forcing a shift to gratitude that you’re safe at home.
Gratitude is important, of course, but not at the cost of suppressing your other emotions.
Instead, it’s important to acknowledge that both gratitude and anxiety can exist side by side.
This is the both/and approach.
For the above situation, both/and might sound like: “I’m really struggling with not going outside and grateful my house is safe.”
This feels expansive and generative and more encompassing of the messiness of the experience.
I’m feeling a lot of both lately.
On top of that, it leaves room for multiple people’s experiences, regardless of who has it worse.
For example, it may be tempting to take the “at least I-” approach with the above situation.
“I’m really struggling with not going outside, but at least my home is safe, and some people are homeless, so I shouldn’t complain.”
Just because somebody else may have it worse, however, doesn’t make your experience any less difficult to deal with.
2. Replenish Your Resilience Bank Account
If you’re familiar with the work of thoracic surgeon and life coach Dr. Michael Maddaus, MD, it should be no surprise that it resonates in this situation.
But they’re worth underscoring.
He advocates focusing on some key components of health, including:
Nutrition
Exercise
Meditation
Self compassion
Gratitude
Connection
Saying no
Each of us will be stronger in some of these areas, and weaker in others.
For me, it’s been sleep.
Surge capacity makes me tired, so I’ve been allowing myself to sleep in a little later.
I’ve even scheduled out a 20 minute siesta on days that feel really heavy.
This has been massively replenishing.
Give yourself permission to the basics.
They really are an investment for any of the tough moments ahead.
PS: if the topic of ambiguous loss is especially interesting to you, I recommend this episode of the wonderful On Being podcast - Navigating Loss Without Closure with Pauline Boss.
Book Your Appointment With Wild Lemon Health Today
As I revisit this article, it’s September 2023.
A couple of years out from what felt so acute at the height of the pandemic.
And while things feel slightly more normal-ish, I think the ripples of that intensity will be felt for a longtime. Even in this fall season, we’re dealing with a heightened political environment, ongoing challenges around climate change and news that continues to break our hearts.
I’d venture to say that as we recover and gain a different sense of normalcy, the exhaustion of operating at surge capacity might still remain or be unfortunately stretched with new challenges.
If you’re curious if this is part of your health picture and want to understand more deeply how your nervous system is affecting your health, then schedule an initial discovery call below.
Here at Wild Lemon Health, we’re focused on helping you improve your mental health, through an evidence based naturopathic approach.
