Resilience. We’ve heard that word so many times. Maybe too many times.
Has it become one of those words where when you hear it, you glaze over. ‘I know, I know. Bouncing back from dealing with hard things… whatever!’
Well – there is a new understanding of what it means to have resilience that I want to tell you about and it stems from the latest science about what makes humans do well in the face of difficulty.
This is a story in two halves. There is being resilient. This relates to the here and now. A sense of knowing yourself and your body, and taking responsibility for what supports you to be rested, strong, agile, focused and calm for much of the time!
The expression for this is Positive Buoyancy. We are made up of a brain, a nervous system, a cardiovascular system, a muscular skeletal system and our gut. And to do all the stuff we want to do in our lives, these systems need paying attention to.
Sleep, rest, movement, hydration, nutrition, motivation, attention. Combined, and in the right quantities, paying attention to any of these gives us a sense of being a resilient person and able to take on challenges.
The second part is resilience for when the shit hits the fan. This bit relates to you being able to reflect on the past, to harvest your strengths and throw this forward to the future.
By being aware of this process, you’ll be ready to make better predictions about how you cope.
So, what innate strengths do you know you have that you can confidently draw upon to grow through tough times? When we don’t disassociate with the challenge but, with clear head and heart take each step, knowing that this period of uncertainty is the beginning of growth, the bedrock of creativity and, beyond ‘hard times’ will be the gift of wisdom…
So, my four steps to feeling capable would be:
- Challenge, change and discomfort is an inevitable and necessary part of human growth.
- Fuel your whole body with what a body needs. Take responsibility to get enough to feel agile, able, nourished and strong.
- Reflect and acknowledge your innate strengths that have got you through tough times already.
- Embrace new wisdom and learning. You are a dynamic, whole, creative human.
Teresa Klasener is a partner coach with Careering into Motherhood.
July 24, 2022
