Bound Outward to Cultivate Resilience

We have the innate ability to develop resiliency.  Whew, what a relief! 

Resiliency is often described as the ability to bounce back from unwanted or unexpected events or failures. Given the global events of the past couple of years we all could use some resiliency.  But what are we bouncing back to?  “Bouncing back” suggests returning to the norms we once knew.  Is that what we want?  Do we all want to bounce back to our pre-pandemic lives?  Maybe, but perhaps we are better served by viewing resilience more expansively. 

Whether these last few years have been a constant struggle, a welcome shift, or a bit of both, learning to broaden and shift our perspectives can help us to harness resilience.  There is no denying that we have experienced individual and collective disappointment, heartbreak, and tragedy in recent years.  The natural urge may be to return to what we remember as less complicated times.  But instead of bouncing back, what if we bound outward, into an expanse of new possibilities? 

Developing resilience by bounding outward requires us to view our experiences through a wider lens.  That broader lens may include what was, but it’s not limited by the past.  The process of bounding outward honors who we are today and our potential, while at the same time honoring all of our lived experiences.  It is that expansive perspective that allows us to draw from our internal and external reserves to endure, recover, and even thrive. 

How do we bound outward and awaken our resiliency?  Try these tips: 

-  Mindfully identify your challenges.  We develop resilience through experiencing, acknowledging, and learning from, trying times.  

- Notice how you interpret your challenges.  Is the meaning you are attaching to any particular challenge shaping your response to it? Reframing your interpretation in a way that broadens your perspective also builds resilience. 

- Feel your feelings.  Emotional awareness leads to resilience.  We cultivate emotional awareness by compassionately examining what we are feeling and deciding if those feelings are serving us. 

-  Replace catastrophic thoughts with empowering thoughts.  Our thoughts go to where we place our attention.  When we intentionally and consistently view our challenges and failures as life lessons to grow from, we build resilience. 

-  Connect with your support network.  Resilient people understand the value of community, are willing to ask for help, and are quick to give help. 

-  Consciously and regularly express gratitude for the good things and people in your life.  Human nature pulls our focus toward the negative, but gratitude practices help to counter that tendency by expanding our attention to include the positive.  Daily reflection on just one positive person or event makes us happier and more resilient. 

-  Journal your progress as you learn to be more resilient.  What are you noticing as you use your tools to awaken your resiliency? 

- And always, be gentle and patient with yourself. 

 Resilience is within us.  We may just need to step out of ourselves, bound outward, to reclaim it.