Creativity for Mental Strength

“Our times are desperate for meaning and belonging. In the parched deserts of post-modernity, a blessing can be like the discovery of a fresh well.”

(Exert from “To Bless the Space Between Us” John O’Donahue).

No one journeys through this life without making acquaintance with our old friend “Adversity”.?

Resilience can be harnessed whilst facing the greatest adversities if we give deep focus on the inextricable links between our behaviour, feelings & thoughts.

How we view hardship as individuals, plays a key role in our ability to overcome challenges. Countless research shows direct association between self esteem, life satisfaction and emotional intelligence.

A resilient mindset isn’t necessarily a shield to our difficult experiences - it doesn’t mean we can negate unpleasant feelings, however, what we find is that resilient people will focus their energy on the situations they can control.?

People who are resilient allow themselves to connect to the feeling of darker emotion; fear, grief, despair and then actively?turn their crises into opportunities for growth and learning.

Emotional well-being consists of a few essential components and having balanced and accurate perceptions of your strengths, weaknesses and capabilities certainly plays a primary role.

When we live with values and can accept both our failures and achievements, its easier to keep a clearer perspective of the opinions of others. In fact, continuous “balanced” self reflection is a byproduct of authentic emotional intelligence.?

Like a muscle that can be worked upon and strengthened; those with a pre-wired temperament for resilience can strengthen their skills, and for those who are more vulnerable, resilience is a skill which can be taught and honed.

Poetry for Personal Reflection?

If you’re working on your own levels of resilience, then poetry is a great place to start, and, along with meditation it can remind you that life is better lived with “intention”

In what could be described as a somewhat (although, not wholly), a superficial, “media-driven” culture - expressing true depth of feeling can be greeted with uncomfortable responses.?

Sometimes it can feel like our culture has become increasingly intolerant of the discussion or expression of “acute sorrow”, - the intensity of deep remorse and mental anguish. So, there is still tendency, to avoid the stigma of judgement, and people still too often, turn to medicating their sorrow away.?

I don’t believe though, from my own experiences, that we can underestimate poetry as a vehicle for opening a capacity for tenderness and empathy within us.

However we’re able to connect with poetry, whether through its’ imagery or the title, it helps us to relate to the deeper sentiments of the words which allows us to “sit within” our experiences in ways that serve to strengthen our abilities to deal with adversities.

Reading poetry allows us to learn about our social world, and, it supports our ability to foster respect for wider divergent points of view.?

The latter is something our world today is in SUCH great need of?

Have a beautiful day my friends????

#creativity #resilience #mindfulness #strength #poetry #connectivity #emotionalintelligence #reflection #adversity