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Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Resilience

Resilience in psychology is the positive capacity of people to cope with stress and catastrophe (definition from Wikipedia). Resilience is a quality that can get us through many of life's challenges with grace.

Here are some tips on how we can start developing the ability to be resilient:

- Focus on what you have control over, not on what you have no control over. It's kind of like the serenity prayer - we need to learn the difference, and recognize it. Some things we just have to let go of.

- Make connections. We all have the need for community, for a support system. We can find this in a club, a cause, a church, or any kind of a group where we can make friends.

-Be of service. Volunteer. Contributing to society gives us a feeling of purpose, and that helps us to build resilience.

-Stay fit. Body, mind, and spirit. Eat healthy foods, exercise both mentally and physically, and spend time in nature and in silence. Get into good habits.

-Express gratitude. Every day, count your blessings. Keeping a gratitude journal is a good way to do this. Gratitude helps us to keep things in perspective, and this is important with resilience.

-Pursue your passion. We have the desires we have for a reason. And we can use these to help us learn and grow. Doing what we love brings joy, which boosts our resilience!

(from The Power of Resilience: Achieving Balance, Confidence, and Personal Strength in Your Life by Robert Brooks)