Resilience

“Building resilience is an important part of growth and change. There are several ways to cultivate and inspire resilience in people.

A good start is finding a sentence that resonates with you. It empowers you, motivates you, and becomes a mantra you internally chant to yourself every day. Words can make or break you and can change your mindset.” (Positivepsychology.com)

What is resilience? It is our ability to bounce back when life throws curve balls. It is our flexibility and recovery rate when things don’t go our way. Resilience is vital to recovery.

This week started with a traumatic bang. My 13 month old grandson was bit by a dog first thing Monday morning. He was rushed to the children’s hospital by ambulance and had surgery that evening to repair the damage to his little head. It was sudden, severe and frightening. Once he physically recovered, I wondered if the trauma would continue to affect him.

He is resilient.

He bounced right back to his toddler nature- no fear, no change. Resilient. As I watched him play today, I was reminded of how non- resilient adults can be sometimes. We over- think the circumstance and allow our mind to constantly relive the trauma. Children don’t do this.

We need to become more like our children if we are to survive and thrive in this world. Things happen- dogs bite, storms come- how do we prepare?

A good place to start is finding a sentence or phrase that can be your fall back- your go to thought when you run into trauma. It could be a Bible verse or simply some meaningful sentence that directs your thoughts in the right way. Whatever works for you.

My favorite is based on a Scripture. It has helped me through days of fear and chaos. I completely believe it. Some days I have needed to speak it out loud, but others I only need to think it. It works for me.

You are the God of the impossible!

These are the words I needed to hear- there are just too many impossibilities in my life. What are the words you need to hear?

Being resilient allows us to survive. The traumatic events of life do not have to tear us down. Relapse does not have to happen. We can stand on our own two feet, supported by the solid ground of the Lord. We can teach our minds to bounce back- we can recover.

Even when the big dog bites us in the head, we can get back to playing like we were meant to do! Are you resilient?