The Disturbance Theory of Feeling Alive
- Chloe Markham
- May 30
- 2 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
I recently read about the biodiversity of moss on a cliff above a river.
Yes, it actually was riveting, thanks (book recommendation at the bottom).
Here’s what made me go “oooh, that’s amazing” (and I promise it’s relevant to your day today):
High disturbance reduced biodiversity — only a few hardy species thrived lower down where the river level changed a lot throughout the year.
Low disturbance also reduced biodiversity — one species ended up hogging the entire rock face higher up, no others could get a look-in.
And… drum-roll please: medium disturbance meant increased diversity. I.e. right in the middle of these two extremes, more moss species thrived.
Why am I sharing this with you? Because humans are basically moss with more complex emotions.
When life is endless fire and pressure, like the moss, you don’t thrive. Life gets reduced back to the basics: cope, brace for impact, and survive at all costs.
But when life is also too comfortable, we become like that single species hogging the rock; a bit samey, a bit rigid. Creatively, it’s a dead zone. Emotionally… it’s meh. No growth happens here, no magic, no wonder.
But when we’re able to find that Goldilocks zone of medium disturbance, like the moss, it opens us up. When we’re stretching ourselves without shattering, when we’re shaken but not rattled, we come back online.
The lesson?
Set tiny experiments with yourself
Take little risks
Add a sprinkle of novelty
And the occasional brave decision
This is where our systems start to learn flexibility and resilience. And that’s what helps us fall back in love with being alive again.
Our internal ecosystem, exactly like the moss ecosystem, benefits from just the right amount of disturbance.
Inspired to read the book? It's truly wonderful. For anyone who read and loved Braiding Sweetgrass, it's Robin Wall Kimmerer's next gorgeous work.
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