Building Your Resiliency Muscle

The oak fought the wind and was broken, the willow bent when it must and survived. Robert Jordan, American author

Whether you’re recovering from the loss of your mother or another loved one, it’s times like these you must draw on your ability to be resilient. Resiliency is the capacity to adapt well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, or extreme stress. I found daughters who demonstrated resilience generally had these six traits in common. In addition, many resilient daughters called on their faith in God to sustain them.

1. The ability to sustain supportive relationships with family and friends.

2. A strong self-image and confidence in their strengths.

3. The ability to accept change as a part of living and didn’t see crisis as     insurmountable. 

4. Good communication and problem solving skills.

5. Practiced healthy self care.

6. Built on their past experiences and trusted that what they had survived made them stronger.

Another way to build resiliency is to anticipate difficult times like holidays, birthdays, THE anniversary, weddings. Acknowledging your feelings of sadness during these special times will help you move forward. 

Affirmation: I am resilient.

Coaching questions: If you’re just learning to flex your resiliency muscle, what traits do you need to work on? What will you do today to build resiliency for the future?