Wellness Series: Everyday Resiliency

Key Points:

• Resiliency is the ability to bounce back and recover from a setback or difficult experience.
• The Five Pillars of Resiliency contributes to the overall constellation of skills, traits, and behaviours that allow us to persist and thrive through adversity.?
• Day Mapping allows us to set our intentions and map out what we want to accomplish, benefitting the rest of our day.
• Practicing resiliency finisher statements can reinforce a positive self-belief.

Januarys, Mondays, the first of the month, new seasons, new semesters, new jobs, all seem to lend themselves to a fresh start! The idea of finally resolving to do something differently or changing once and for all is an alluring prospect. As humans, we are quite resistant to change, yet we are extraordinarily adaptable and resilient. We find ourselves in a constant tug-of-war between where we are now and where we want to be or who we are and whom we inspire to be. This is one of the wonderful phenomena about human change. We don’t like change; we furiously fight against it, yet we are in a constant state of change and crave newness. Interestingly, change really is the only constant. We are changing every single second of our lives. We are aging while also experiencing every new day with an experience and insight that we did not have the day before. I invite you to go easy on yourself, let yourself ease into the new year and allow yourself time to adjust.?

Despite the enormity of the challenges, we are facing right now, I want you to know that we are so much more capable than many of us think. This is because we humans are incredibly adaptable. Even in seasons of great challenge and change, with a dialed in commitment to wellness, we will find our way through. It is helpful to remember that sometimes a storm doesn’t come into our lives to destroy, it comes to clear a path. So, as this new year unfolds in front of you, your job is simply to make the next right choice for you. You don’t have to carry the whole world – just take the next right step that best serves you and your loved ones. I promise you – all will be well, because?

This is part one of my wellness series on everyday resiliency, wellness, and self-care in seasons of uncertainty adapted from my white papers. See?robynehd.ca?to read more topics on improving your work and life wellness.

Resiliency is reserved not only for the mentally tough, the strong, or the fearless. Each person has the capacity for resiliency. It isn’t something you have or don’t have and it isn’t something you are born with. Resiliency is there, inside us - it just needs to be recognized. When a person lives an examined life, they come upon the knowledge of how to be resilient naturally. When we know where to look, we realize just how truly equipped we are to deal with all of life’s challenges.?

Resiliency is the capacity to rally. It is the ability to bounce back and recover from a setback or difficult experience. It is how we dust ourselves off and get back up when we fall. My approach is known as?everyday resiliency?because it is the small decisions we make each day that set us up to be able to do the extraordinary. The big hurts, losses, setbacks, seasons of change, and even the traumas – they can all be navigated with skill when we apply the simple techniques, backed by science, that I teach. I believe that everyone can be extraordinary. In fact, I know it because I have seen it countless times with the thousands of people, I have worked with all over the world. With practice, everyday resiliency becomes a tool that aligns with our primal drive to feel safe and secure.?

When developing our resilience, there are some key factors that help us to bounce back from and grow stronger through difficulty. I have come to call them the?Five Pillars of Resiliency.

They are?belonging, perspective, acceptance, hope?and?humour. Each pillar contributes to the overall constellation of skills, traits, and behaviours that allow us to persist and thrive through adversity.?

In the current landscape of our world, we are facing some truly wicked problems. Wicked problems are complex social or cultural problems that, by their very nature, are difficult to solve because the issues involved are so interconnected and bound up with other concerns such as the economy, health, justice, the environment, wellbeing, and so on. Our physical, emotional, and mental health are being taxed and tested every single day. As such, there is an extraordinary need to build, foster, and practice resiliency like never before so that we can navigate and take care of the most basic parts of our lives.?

My Invitation for You

Here are just a few actionable gems that I and many others have found to be helpful in practicing everyday resiliency. I invite you to try them out for yourself and see how they make you feel. Remember, if you are feeling good, that is a sure sign they are working!

Day Mapping

The way we begin each day sets a tone that can carry through to all of our interactions. Taking the time in the morning to set our intentions and to map out what we want to accomplish can have a big impact on the rest of our day. Most of us are already in the habit of making to-do lists, but we can forget about how powerful it is to give a thought to how we want to be, and what not to do. Here is an example to get you started.?

Resiliency Finisher Statements

Our worldview is shaped by the stories we tell ourselves. These stories are made up of the thoughts we think about ourselves (our self-belief) in order to make sense of our experiences. We know that our worldview directly impacts our ability to navigate challenges and one of the most powerful ways to change our reality is to change our thoughts. The following prompts are used to complete ‘resiliency finisher statements’ that reinforce a positive self-belief:?

We must be as vigilant about practicing self-care and wellness as we are with our physical health resolutions. When we are depleted and overwhelmed, we have little cognitive and physical energy to devote to ourselves and others. We are most resilient when we take care of ourselves, and resilience enables us to navigate change, manage stress, and persist towards goals despite going through times of uncertainty. Only you know what is truly best for you. I hope you discover your own individual roadmap for wellness that helps you move through challenging times feeling like the best version of yourself!?

Take good care my friends,

Dr. Robyne

Interested in this topic? Please join me later this week as I discuss the second part of this wellness series, finding a new approach to new beginnings.