What is Resilience?

 

I'm into podcasts these days (I know...I'm always late to the game!)

I was listening to "Chasing Life" with Dr. Sanjay Gupta.  They had an episode called "In the Blink of an Eye" and talked about how their producer received a traumatic brain injury. 

The producer was involved in a bad car accident and doesn't remember much about it. The doctors didn't hold out hope that she would come out of the coma. 

But - she's ready to go back to work about a year after her accident, lengthy hospitalization, and physical therapy. 

It was interesting to hear about Dr. Gupta and his producer talk about being resilient. Life happens and many times there are things outside our control. 

So....how do you handle life when it throws you a curve ball?

I loved this quote from Dr. Gupta:

"We will all one day find ourselves in circumstances we would not have chosen. And when we do, we must remind ourselves that what is in our control is how we react to the hand we're dealt. We can all learn to adapt, to find acceptance for what we cannot change and learn to adapt and push ourselves to have a fulfilling life, no matter what challenges are thrown our way."

 Having asthma isn't like being in a car accident and ending up in a coma. 

But - asthma is a life long condition and has it's ups and downs. My kids are adults now, but when they were little, they were in the  hospital 12 times (and 2 ICU's) for asthma. 

We had frequent after hours visits to the pediatrician and Urgent Care. The kids missed a LOT of school and my husband and I missed work. We were are on a first name basis with the pharmacist. 

We still battle allergies, food allergies, and asthma. Those conditions don't go away just because we're adults. Being constantly on guard can be exhausting.  

And we have other medical conditions we battle too. Genetics has not been kind to us!

How do you become resilient? 

Psychology Today says people are more likely to be resilient if they are optimistic, have a positive attitude, can control their emotions, and seeing failure as positive feedback. 

The article also talks how to break the negative thought cycle, stop expecting the worst possible outcome, and look for anything positive when you have a setback.

It's a great article with many ideas about how to become more resilient, so check out the advice from the experts. 

I have a small but strong support system, I listen to funny podcasts and watch goofy cat videos.

 Social media can be good and bad (we've probably all been attacked online by nasty people.) I try to find and share funny memes to help friends who may be struggling. 

We all have bad days or weeks, but I try not to focus on them and make them worse. I try to fight my way out.

Our family mantra is "Things Can Always Be Worse." I find myself repeating that to myself while I take a deep breath.

Has anyone else found ways to stay resilient in this world?