5 Ways to Build Personal Resilience
/My name is Lauren. And I am strong and resilient.
I come from uncomfortable plaid catholic school uniforms, “chicken necker” crabbing off of old gray splintered docks, and, “drOHve down-ee oh-shin from BalDimore, hon’,” My life’s journey is unique. I am an original, inimitable individual.
I’m really good at devising creative ideas, visions and experiences, and diving deep into the details of what I’m working on.
The hardest thing I’ve ever had to do was slowly maneuver my way out of an abusive relationship and put my life back together, completely alone. If I really had to, I could get through something as hard as that again… maybe even something a little bit harder.
I’m grateful for the kindness, compassion, and generosity of heart that defenders of social justice offer to strangers. (and my dog, Dax!)
In community with the HerChesapeake Board members, I commit to “an autumn of putting less pressure on myself” as a way of continually evolving and strengthening my personal resilience.
This is my story of personal resilience. It can be used, like a mantra, as a reminder of the strength I have within me to keep pushing toward my goals in a way that is sustainable and authentic to who I am. Read on to learn how to create your own!
Among us whose work contributes to a healthier Chesapeake Bay watershed, we most often talk about the word “resilience” in relation to climate change. Major shifts due to climate change are happening across the Bay - sea level rise is enveloping historic fishing villages and formerly productive crop land, heavier and more erratic precipitation events have swept away mainstays within our communities, and the seafood that defines this region’s culture is at risk from warmer temperatures and too much carbon dioxide in the water. These kinds of issues are complex to understand, and chaotic to address. The highly multi-disciplinary work it takes to make progress toward climate resilience is mentally and emotionally exhausting, with many compromises made and few battles won along the way.
These circumstances make it crucially important to do the self work to build up our own personal resilience, as we push on in our professional work to restore, conserve, steward and adapt the Chesapeake watershed for climate resilience.
“Personal resilience is the mental reservoir of strength that people are able to call on in times of need to carry them through.” (adapted from Verywell Mind)
How do you fill this mental reservoir??
By practicing resilience-building techniques.
How do you practice resilience-building techniques??
Write your own personal resilience story!
I designed my resilience story very deliberately to contain five important and replicable elements - each element is a technique for building personal resilience that can be customized for anyone to create her/their/his own mantra.
Sensory Description of Origin
This is about where you come from - your foundation, the things that have molded you into the person you are now - and revisiting that foundation through the five senses. Your foundation can be a source of comfort, or simply serve as a baseline to show you how far you’ve come since then. You can transport yourself through sensory memories to immerse yourself in your origin story as a way of reconnecting with yourself and what’s important to you.
Unique Value
Our origins have catapulted each of us on a trajectory that led to who we are right now, and the unique skills and capacities each of us has to offer. Reflect on and realize your unique value and skills - make a statement on what you know makes you exceptional. Let go of self doubt, and claim your value!
Strength Through Hardship
This is about taking a moment to recall the hardest thing you’ve had to go through to realize the resilience you’ve already built within yourself. This is to remind yourself that because you’ve made it through difficult challenges along the course of your journey so far, the power lies within you (and nobody else!) to get through really hard times again in the future.
Practice Gratitude
Practicing gratitude is about bringing focus into the present. It’s used often in meditation to cultivate a sense of groundedness, joy, and connection to the here & now. Gratitude comes at many levels, from supremely special to seemingly mundane everyday things. Even through the toughest of times, if you can simply bring your attention to the present moment and focus on sensations within your body, you have something to feel grateful for.
Community Connection
Community is at the core of the human experience - connecting and relating with others can help us feel supported and understood, and sharing experiences brings meaning and joy into our lives. Connection is heightened through authenticity and vulnerability. Forging real connections with others creates a web of people who we can lean on when we need it, and assist when we’re able.
Access your FREE resilience story template here. Download or make a copy of the file in your own record, and fill in the blanks with your personalized content.
If it feels right for you, share your full story on social media and tag HerChesapeake, or share it only with me at lauren@herchesapeake.com for a private conversation and personalized encouragement.
So… what’s your story?