Could we become as adaptable as COVID-19?

We’ve all learned a lot about viruses in the past year, probably more than we ever thought we would need or want to know. The interesting thing that we are noticing now, particularly in the UK, is the emergence of a new mutation of Covid-19. 

So what can we learn from Covid-19 that we can apply to our lives? 

Adaptation helps survival!  The virus replicates itself so often that it makes small errors or mutations in its’ genetic blueprint. Sometimes these lead to disadvantages (decreased contagiousness) and other times these lead to advantages (increased contagiousness). Naturally, the disadvantages die out whereas, in this particular case the mutation has led to the increased speed of spread so the virus can infect more people more quickly; a significant advantage.

How can we adapt like a Coronavirus? 

Now unlike Covid-19 we aren’t able to keep replicating our DNA and hope that one of those mutations leads to an advantage, this wouldn’t be a good strategy. However, humans do need to adapt… but adapting by design rather than chance.  

So what adaptations can we make to help us succeed in our environment?

The most obvious is to create the ideal environment. Whether it is good lighting for our eyes,  the optimum workplace positioning for our office or the best nutrition for our body, each adaptation leads to small advantages. Unfortunately, where we differ from Coronavirus is that humans tend to prefer to live in a comfort zone avoiding change as much as possible.

We are creatures of habit, especially bad habits!

So the next time you are feeling up to it, look around and see what adaptations you can make to give yourself that small advantage!

Author: Dr. Adam Greenfield, Co-founder of WorkLifeWell | Doctor of Chiropractic | Wellness Specialist

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