Interpretations of The Fifth Discipline Part 1
I read The Fifth Discipline: The Art & Practice of the Learning Organization by Peter Senge. Last published in 2006, this is a well-known book for learning about Systems Thinking and applying those principles to both your work and your personal life. Within the first 125 pages, he discusses two important systems archetypes. Systems archetypes are a collection of common processes in the world and these two prevent us from making progress in our lives. The one I want to discuss here is called Shifting the Burden.
When reading about this archetype, it surprised me it has direct connections to mental health and Substance Use Disorder (SUD) recovery. Mr. Senge explains that this archetype is made of “two balancing (stabilizing) processes… trying to adjust or correct the same problem symptom.” Basically, two processes are pulling and tugging at a problem you are struggling with. One type of problem that he addresses is stress.
He calls this a “problem symptom”. Most of us may relate to being stressed at one point or another in our lives. In this example, he says that a person is taking on too much work and becomes stressed. This is all too familiar to me, where this society encourages us to do more with less and rewards us for it. I know I’m constantly receiving the message that if I’m not hustling, I’m being left behind. His example continues by saying that alcohol temporarily relieves stress. Someone may have a hard day at work or be struggling with a new book that they just can’t seem to get right, or they had a bad day at school, or a fight with a significant other, so they go out by themselves or with friends to get a drink and unwind. They drink, they feel better, the problem resolved. But Senge continues by saying the drinking only distracts you. It’s a “symptomatic solution.” The workload problem still exists and only increases over time, which he says leads to more drinking in a vicious cycle. You’re shifting the burden of the stress onto alcohol, meanwhile the stress process continues to grow the amount of stress you have, so you must shift even more stress to even more alcohol.
I could expand this to other things. Perhaps you are working on a new manuscript and are feeling frazzled. But you have a deadline. So, you get prescribed something to calm your nerves. But this substance is only masking the symptoms of your stressful life and after some time you don’t feel like it’s working, so you up the dosage. This is a dangerous way to get into SUD. It could occur with any unhealthy behavior that masks what’s really at the bottom of your issues. How does Senge propose to fix this?
It’s admitting to yourself that you have a problem, and he credits the Alcoholics Anonymous program for really doing a great job at this. He says if you can bring the symptomatic solution out of the shadows; it holds less power over you. So, if I’m feeling stressed and I try to hide that stress from the people close to me, I may feel shame at my inability to keep up with the people around me and turn to something else such as “stress-eating.” But if I can admit that something is bothering me, then I can ask for help. Maybe that help is to talk to my editor about extending my deadline or going to a writing retreat to escape for a bit. There’s power in supporting each other as authors and as people. After that admission, he says to focus on how you can reduce the stress instead of masking it.
I find it difficult to address fundamental symptoms and easy to apply band-aids as symptomatic solutions. After a year of learning about practicing self-care and mental wellness, I’ve concluded that I don’t have to do it all, and certainly not alone. So, say no when you need to. It’s okay. Ask for help. It’s okay. Take time for yourself. It’s. Okay. The world will not burn down without you.
