Context: Imagine you enjoy spending time outdoors, hiking in natural settings to relax and rejuvenate. However, you’ve recently developed an allergy to certain types of pollen, making your usual hiking experiences uncomfortable and sometimes harmful to your health.

Situation: You need to balance your love for nature and hiking with the need to avoid allergens that negatively impact your health.

Creative Adjustment:

Assessing Personal Needs and Environmental Resources:

• Need: Enjoyment of nature and hiking without triggering allergies.
• Resources: Knowledge of different trails, weather reports, allergy medications, and alternative outdoor activities.

Finding a Balance:

• Adapting to the Environment:
  • You start by researching local trails that have lower levels of the specific pollen you’re allergic to, focusing on those with fewer allergenic plants.
  • You hike during times of the day or seasons when pollen levels are lower, such as early morning or after rain, which can reduce pollen in the air.
  • Changing the Environment:
    • You wear protective gear, like a pollen mask and sunglasses, to minimize exposure to allergens while hiking.
    • You carry allergy medications or inhalers as a precautionary measure to handle any unexpected allergic reactions quickly.

Exploring Alternative Activities:

• You explore other outdoor activities that align with your love for nature but pose less risk of allergen exposure, such as visiting botanical gardens with low-allergen plants, bird watching, or engaging in water-based activities like kayaking or canoeing.

Outcome: By creatively adjusting, you are able to continue enjoying your passion for nature and hiking without compromising your health. You find new trails and times that are safer for you, and you also discover alternative outdoor activities that enrich your experience of nature.

Reflection from a Gestalt Perspective: This example demonstrates the concept of creative adjustment in a natural setting by balancing personal needs with environmental conditions. It involves:

• Awareness: Recognizing your need for nature and the challenge posed by allergies.
• Experimentation: Researching trails, timing hikes, and using protective gear.
• Integration: Successfully integrating personal adjustments with environmental changes to create a safe and enjoyable nature experience.

Through creative adjustment, you effectively negotiate between adapting to the environment and making changes to suit your needs, achieving a harmonious balance that fosters personal enjoyment and well-being in nature.