Resilience is the internal empowerment
of an individual to exhale fortitude back into
the environment.
Resilience is not "bouncing back", it is:
Bouncing Higher
Resilience cannot be self-serving; it must
have at its core the direction of the most high
good. It must go beyond self.
Bouncing Forward
We are all changed by our experiences of
traumatic events. True resiliency contains the
component of integrating new information and
making use of the trauma energy for growth.
Bouncing Inward
Resiliency has a component of humility and
deep reflection.
Six Steps to Intentional Resilience
1. Discover Your Connections:
Personal resilience is developed in supportive
environments. We need to stay connected to
others who encourage us, with whom we feel that
we "fit."
2.
Aim Towards Your Inner Vision
Being goal oriented aids us in developing our
personal strengths. Strive to become clear about
your vision for yourself and for your life. Then set
reasonable goals so that a sense of achievement
can be gained.
3.
Become Intentional
Empowerment, like resilience, morphs to the
environment. Whatever you are facing, regardless
of roadblocks, adversity, and other seeming
obstacles, face it intentionally and with dignity.
4.
Practice Perspective
Practice the art of seeing yourself and your situation
in the light of "the past", "the present", and "the future".
We do have an intentional hand in our own history!
Life shapes us, and we shape life.
5. Practice Self-Care
Self-care promotes resilience. Draw a circle on
your paper, divide it into four slices of pie and fill in
each slice with the following: Thoughts, Feelings,
Actions, and Body.
Thoughts:
Am I still open to learning?
Do I challenge myself intellectually?
Are my thoughts useful and helpful?
Feelings:
What emotion do I avoid?
Am I able to manage my emotional life, feeling
deep
and painful emotions only for spurts of time,
interspersed with humor, compassion, and other
countering emotions?
Actions:
Have I fallen into bad or unhealthy habits?
Have I developed a daily routine?
Body:
Am I exercising regularly?
How is my diet?
Am I in good physical health?
6. Speak Hope
It is easy, in this day and age, to find fear and terror
around every corner. Sometimes out of our own
anxiety we give "little words of encouragement" that
are not helpful. Question yourself; ask if what you are
thinking and saying produces a sense of hope.
Seeking hope and speaking hope are tasks that nurture
the development of personal resilience as well as serve
to create an environment where resilience can be
supported in others. Practice speaking hope!