July - Resilience
Resilience is not only influenced by current traumatic events but also from childhood adversity and even inter-generational trauma. It can be eroded away by culminative hardships. The good news is that it can also be learned and cultivated. So many of us over the past year and a half have experienced extra layers of grief and loss. These burdens that seemed difficult to define.
I called my trip to Costa Rica a resiliency trip because it was a little scary and pushed my comfort zone. I love to travel, but traveling during COVID, alone, and after the loss of Roan seemed full of uncertainty. The trip was amazing, beautiful, and restorative but it was not without its challenges.
I jumped off a waterfall on my birthday, had a close encounter with monkeys and tried to sleep through a monsoon level storm. Getting there was arduous but just enough of a challenge to be extra excited when you settled into your glamping style accommodations. My trip allowed me to work through multiple obstacles including the fear of traveling out of the country by myself (during a pandemic), luggage weight limit of 30 lbs. (I know this sounds silly), missing my flight, scheduling COVID tests, and my phone breaking right before leaving the country. All of these were challenging, but seeing these as obstacles to navigate, using my resources, and allowing myself to be in the moment made this trip the perfect secret “sauce” to build resiliency. When we are stuck, pushing ourselves just enough can build our self-efficacy and remind us that we can do hard things.
Resilience has many different definitions but my favorite fits perfectly with the mission of the foundation.
“Reintegration of self that includes a conscious effort to move forward in an insightful integrated positive manner as a result of lessons learned from an adverse experience. Resilience involves an active decision, that must be frequently reconfirmed. That decision is to keep moving forward.”
Dr. Rachel Yehuda
Life seems to throw us “curve balls” and we all have differing experiences that are challenging. Building resilience is a lifelong process. Check out these tips to build your resilience. Remember when you feel lost in the waters Roan Roan Roan Your Boat.
