Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Resilience
As I have shared in the other "wing" of my blog . .I've been thinking a lot lately about what keeps us stuck and what motivates us to become unstuck . . in other words, what makes us resilient?
I've got my nose into research and will post some sense of what the literature has to say . . but as I've professed so many times, I'm so much more interested in how "we" perceive it rather than the number-crunched, academically-presented to-fit-inside-the-box interpretations.
Although I truly value to scientific method (just so you don't get me wrong) . . I am interested in perception and description . . what we think and feel as we live it. My objective is to share our voices . .in our own words. I seem to find my way through life the best when I read and hear the experiences of other women . . this is where I find my resilience:)
Without your stories or your experiences . . . I can only hear the sounds of my own words . . . and when I am struggling, it is village of your many voices that lifts me and prods me and encourages me . . just as I hope the shared stories and experiences do for each of you. With each other . . we are never alone. Resilience.
So I encourage you to open that comment box and share your stories of resilience. It will be good for you (as well as me . . and I hope for many others :)
As always . . I am listening . .
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As I promised, I am looking at the research on resilience . . so I will share it as I come across pieces that seem to nudge me to think about the components of this desired (and yet often times elusive) trait or characteristic that we, as ordinary women, possess or seek.
ReplyDeleteThe value in this (at least to me) is that when we know what we are looking for . . we can nurture every little action that strengthens our resilience and reinforces that inner voice of confidence and well-being.
One of the main characteristics of resilience seems to be the way we interpret our story. What is it that we tell ourselves over and over in the context of our lives? Are we victims of our own interpretation . . or are we able to see the adversity as a "temporary" set-back/intrusion/event in our lives? Is it possible to re-focus the trajectory . . to claim a new direction and propose an adaptation strategy (and in no way am I suggesting a superficial sugar-coating of the trauma . . .however, I am wondering if we can't limit it's power).
And so, just as I am beginning to read through and interpret the research findings . .my thoughts are scientifically validated (whew:) that resilience is interactive . . that we need each other . . that listening and support is such a key component of developing healthy relationships . . of thriving and flourishing.
Bibliography:
Hermann, H., Stewart, D., Diaz-Granados, N., Berger, E., Jackson, B., & Yuen, T. (2011). What is resilience? Canadian Journal of Psychiatry; 56,5; p258-265.