Word-Of-the-Week #984: Resilience

June 15, 2023 by · Comments Off on Word-Of-the-Week #984: Resilience 

Resilience – the ability to recover quickly from illness, change, or misfortune.

How quickly do you recover from unexpected setbacks? Do you bounce back or fall apart? Do you have an inner strength that keeps you going?

The Mayo Clinic says, “Resilience is the ability to adapt well to stress, adversity, trauma or tragedy. People who have a resilient disposition are better able to maintain poise and a
healthy level of physical and psychological wellness in the face of life’s challenges.”

A resilient approach leads to addressing problems rather than avoiding them, a positive, optimistic outlook and a flexible, adaptive disposition. Research has shown that these techniques
engage the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain that regulates emotion, thinking and behavior.

If you lack resilience, you tend to dwell on problems, feel victimized, become overwhelmed and turn to unhealthy coping mechanisms, such as substance abuse. You may even be more
inclined to develop anxiety and depression.

Resilience won’t make your problems go away. But resilience can give you the ability to see past them, find enjoyment in life and handle stress better. If you aren’t as resilient as you’d like to be, you can develop skills to become more resilient.

Resiliency can be developed by learning and practicing mindfulness and other mind-body techniques. Mindfulness helps you achieve an elevated sense of awareness by consciously recognizing and accepting the present. It brings purposeful, trained attention out of the negative thoughts of the mind and into the reality of the world in the present moment.”

“…more than education, more than experience, more than training, an individual’s level of resilience will determine who succeeds and who fails.”
                                                                                                                                                            – Harvard Business Review, 2002.

This past week Sade, a former foster youth, is now Dr. Sade Burrell. She has had an incredibly hard journey in life but has survived through it all. She has been in my life since 2006 when I began mentoring her when she turned 18 and applied for a scholarship from Fostering Opportunities to attend Cuyamaca College. Sade truly embodies resilience!

I was so fortunate to be able to attend her dissertation last week and Channel 8 news was there to report. This is her story in nutshell 😊 Enjoy!

This week focus on being resilient. Do you have the ability to be calm, energized, engaged, focused and purposeful…even when things don’t go as planned?  Do you address problems or avoid them? Are you consciously recognizing and accepting of your present situation?

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Word-Of-the-Week #816: Resilience

March 26, 2020 by · Comments Off on Word-Of-the-Week #816: Resilience 

Resilienceability to adapt well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats or significant sources of stress.

How well are you adapting to the coronavirus situation? Is it becoming a significant source of stress? Or are you accepting the “fear of the unknown?”

This Washington Post article A psychologist’s science-based tips for emotional resilience during the coronavirus crisis by Jelena Kecmanovic offers 4 approaches that can help preserve our psychological well-being. This week features 2 of them.

  • Accept negative emotions

As the news about the coronavirus pandemic becomes grimmer, and governments and businesses issue closing or work-from-home directives, many of us are experiencing a variety of negative emotions. We feel anxiety in response to the uncertainty of the situation; sadness related to losing our daily sources of meaning and joy; and anger at whatever forces are to blame for bringing this upon us. As a psychologist, I believe following evidence-based recommendations for bolstering mental resilience can help us weather this crisis. 

It is important to acknowledge that a lot of anxious thoughts and emotions will show up during this time, and to accept them rather than trying to push them away or escape them. The same goes for sadness stemming from the loss of our regular ways of living, worry about lack of supplies or apprehension about kids getting cabin fever. That’s because research has shown that avoidance of such emotions will only make them stronger and longer lasting.  

Notice negative emotions, thoughts and physical sensations as they come up, look into them with curiosity, describe them without judgment and then let them go. This is an essence of mindfulness, which has been consistently linked to good psychological health.  

“By allowing negative emotions to come and go, and focusing on how to spend this time to still include engaging in meaningful and joyful activities, we can get through this,” Forsyth said. 

Instead of fighting our emotions, we can invest our energy in creating the best possible life, given the circumstances. 

  • Reinvent self-care

Many parents of younger children are facing the stress of taking care of them at home, often while teleworking themselves. And families with elderly or sick members are dealing with even stricter isolation in an attempt to prevent covid-19 in this vulnerable population. “I feel especially sad and worried for my elderly mom and aunt, who are sequestered in their assisted-living facilities,” said Larry Eastman, a retired engineer in Ellicott City, Md. “And I’m concerned about my dad being isolated, because he’s not leaving home.”

 It is hard when you’re robbed of your tried-and-true ways of taking care of your physical and mental health. But don’t abandon them; science has shown that exercise, good nutrition and socializing are directly linked to emotional well-being, so now is the time to get creative. 

“To keep your psychological well-being, schedule self-care each day. It can consist of running or walking outside, using apps for home exercise or makeup sessions, and FaceTiming your friends,” said Ilyse DiMarco, a clinical psychologist at the North Jersey Center for Anxiety and Stress Management. Whether you need to change already estabished exercise, eating and socializing habits, or whether you’re using this time to launch a healthy-living routine, the new routines will give you mental strength. 

One thing that is still available to us, unless we experience complete lockdown, is nature. I have never seen more people in Washington’s Rock Creek Park than the past two weekends. Studies show that spending time in nature, whether you are hiking or gardening, positively affects psychological health. Make sure, however, that you are observing social distancing guidelines.” 

This week’s focus is on maintaining our mental resilience. Are you acknowledging anxious thoughts or negative emotions that you are feeling? Are you exercising and spending time outdoors? Do you feel some sense of control over your life?

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Word-Of-the-Week #716: Resilience

April 26, 2018 by · Comments Off on Word-Of-the-Week #716: Resilience 

Resilienceability to adapt well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats or significant sources of stress.

How well do you adapt to adversity or a tragedy? How often do you experience significant stress? Do you think that resilience is about being tough enough?

This Washington Post article Resilience isn’t just being tough; it’s a skill you can develop. Here’s how I did it” by Steven Petrow felt like a perfect follow up to last week. 

“Maybe it’s just coincidence that resilience is trending during these troubled times, but it does seem to have become the buzzword du jour. Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant examine it in their best-selling book, “Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy,” which is one of hundreds of similar titles online (many aimed at children). The highly motivated can enroll in courses such as the one taught at the University of Minnesota, “Change: Loss, Opportunity and Resilience” or “Mental Resilience Masterclass” available online. 

But today’s concept of resilience is not the old-fashioned idea of being tough enough to bounce back after the bad stuff in life. Today’s resilience is about how we respond to experiences such as trauma, divorce, bankruptcy, unemployment or a death in the family. Tara Brach, psychologist and Buddhist meditation guru, put it to me this way: “Our habit is to view challenging situations as if something is wrong; that we are a victim and we have a problem. What if instead of a problem, we perceive stress as a signal to call on our resourcefulness, our intelligence, care and courage? Resilience grows when we become intentional about bringing our best to difficult life seasons.” 

I have more than just an academic interest in the subject. In the space of four months this past year, my mother and father died; my husband and I separated; and I had a health scare. “Any one of those life changes would be enough to make someone trip if not fall,” was a constant refrain from friends. They were surprised by how resilient I was in navigating these choppy waters. 

I was, too. 

Wondering where that newfound resilience had come from, I asked Brach, who told me that resilience is not a fixed trait, that it can be learned. You can develop resilience, and you can lose it as well. 

Struggling through those awful months, I felt buffeted by loss, grief and anger. Initially, I saw myself like the towering pecan tree in my back yard — tall, stately, with a very shallow root base — and vulnerable to collapse in a storm. Through a daily meditation practice I had started six months earlier, I witnessed the shift Brach described. I became more like a weeping willow, with far-reaching roots and a yielding flexibility. Willows rarely topple in the wind as they are the ultimate go-with-the-flow type of tree. 

Resilience, it dawned on me, was more like balance than toughness. As I discovered with yoga, I can easily do what’s called tree pose (balancing on one leg) on some days; those are the days when my body can make the constant recalculations and readjustments necessary to remain steady. Other days I fall over like, well, a dead tree. That tends to happen when I’m ill, angry, distracted or tired. Over time, however, I’ve developed better ways to deal with what irks me, and my toppling days are fewer.” 

This week’s focus is on resilience. Have you experienced trauma, divorce, bankruptcy, unemployment or a death in the family? How well did you respond to it? Are you able to express the emotions you are feeling? Are you a pecan or a willow tree?

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Word Of the Week #608: Resilience

March 31, 2016 by · Comments Off on Word Of the Week #608: Resilience 

Resilience – the ability to recover quickly from illness, change, or misfortune.

How quickly to do recover from unexpected setbacks? Do you bounce back or fall apart? Do you have an inner strength that keeps you going?

The Mayo Clinic says, “Resilience is the ability to adapt well to stress, adversity, trauma or tragedy. People who have a resilient disposition are better able to maintain poise and a healthy level of physical and psychological wellness in the face of life’s challenges.”

A resilient approach leads to addressing problems rather than avoiding them, a positive, optimistic outlook and a flexible, adaptive disposition. Research has shown that these techniques engage the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain that regulates emotion, thinking and behavior.

a resilience

If you lack resilience, you tend to dwell on problems, feel victimized, become overwhelmed and turn to unhealthy coping mechanisms, such as substance abuse. You may even be more inclined to develop anxiety and depression.

Resilience won’t make your problems go away. But resilience can give you the ability to see past them, find enjoyment in life and handle stress better. If you aren’t as resilient as you’d like to be, you can develop skills to become more resilient.

Resiliency can be developed by learning and practicing mindfulness and other mind-body techniques. Mindfulness helps you achieve an elevated sense of awareness by consciously recognizing and accepting the present. It brings purposeful, trained attention out of the negative thoughts of the mind and into the reality of the world in the present moment.”

“…more than education, more than experience, more than training, an individual’s level of resilience will determine who succeeds and who fails.”
                                                                        Harvard Business Review, 2002.

One of my favorite quotes is, “Success is going from failure to failure with enthusiasm.”

This week focus on being resilient. Do you have the ability to be calm, energized, engaged, focused and purposeful…even when things don’t go as planned?  Do you address problems or avoid them? Are you consciously recognizing and accepting of your present situation?

I LOVE feedback! Join my Facebook community on my FUN-damentals Fan Page.

WOW Word-Of-the-Week #288: Resilience

January 31, 2010 by · Comments Off on WOW Word-Of-the-Week #288: Resilience 

Resilience – The ability to recover quickly from illness, change, or misfortune.

How quickly do you recover from unexpected setbacks? Do you bounce back or fall apart? Do you have an inner strength that keeps you going?

Bouncing Back

Bouncing Back

The Mayo Clinic says, “Resilience is the ability to adapt well to stress, adversity, trauma or tragedy. People who have a resilient disposition are better able to maintain poise and a healthy level of physical and psychological wellness in the face of life’s challenges.”

“A resilient approach leads to addressing problems rather than avoiding them, a positive, optimistic outlook and a flexible, adaptive disposition. Research has shown that these techniques engage the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain that regulates emotion, thinking and behavior.”

“If you lack resilience, you tend to dwell on problems, feel victimized, become overwhelmed and turn to unhealthy coping mechanisms, such as substance abuse. You may even be more inclined to develop anxiety and depression.”

“Resilience won’t make your problems go away. But resilience can give you the ability to see past them, find enjoyment in life and handle stress better. If you aren’t as resilient as you’d like to be, you can develop skills to become more resilient.”

“Resiliency can be developed by learning and practicing mindfulness and other mind-body techniques. Mindfulness helps you achieve an elevated sense of awareness by consciously recognizing and accepting the present. It brings purposeful, trained attention out of the negative thoughts of the mind and into the reality of the world in the present moment.”

“…more than education, more than experience, more than training, an individual’s level of resilience will determine who succeeds and who fails.”
Harvard Business Review, 2002.

One of my favorite quotes is, “Success is going from failure to failure with enthusiasm.”

This week focus on being resilient. Do you have the ability to be calm, energized, engaged, focused and purposeful…even when things don’t go as planned?  Do you address problems or avoid them? Are you consciously recognizing and accepting of your present situation?

Reader Responses

I’m amazed at the resilience of children, especially infants. When I watch our 21-month-old daughter getting through illness in a short period of time, I’m just delighted with how she does it. I guess our resilience gets tested in the work world where not everything turns out the way we want it to. And, there are times during our work lives where things can be pretty trying. All of these experiences – good and bad – help build our resilience. The trick is to stay positive in the tough times, and hopefully things will begin to turn around. However, there are people who have a tough time dealing with the rejection aspect of the work world. When that happens it is easy to feel down, or depressed. And many do. Often times that depression turns to despair for some who just can’t handle the problems facing them. It is easier said than done trying to deal with the ups and downs of life, but it we do learn to grin and bear it the best is usually yet to come. Good word, Susan. Have a great week. Take care. “Warrior” Joe