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Resilience
Dec. 8th, 2010 04:29 pmA lot of my thinking and feeling centers on the development of resilience under difficult conditions.
At work, I look for ways to help primary care practices survive a health care environment that threatens their ability to survive.
In my book, I look at resilience and agency among some of the most disadvantaged women I've ever met.
In my life, I've always been fascinated by people who fall down three times and get up four.
Things I've learned about resilience:
It doesn't look like most of our culture thinks it does.
It's not about being hard, thick-skinned or tough.
It has almost nothing to do with one's ability to stuff down pain.
It is not enhanced by pretending that everything is OK in the midst of a crisis.
It is unrelated to the ability to hold back tears.
It doesn't even matter whether or not you fall apart, initially, under stressful conditions.
Resilience is all about flexibility and bending in the face of the storm.
You can be extraordinarily thin-skinned and sensitive, and still be resilient: resilience means being willing to experience and work through pain rather than avoiding it.
Resilience is built on the willingness to look at hard truths.
It is actively diminished by pride and greatly enhanced by the rejection of shame.
Humor and the ability to poke fun at yourself will always help you become more resilient.
You can be resilient before, during and after you fall apart, as long as you get up one time more than you fall.
Resilience can be learned.
Really bad experiences can help create it, and for this reason, if for no other, trauma can be forged into something valuable.
At work, I look for ways to help primary care practices survive a health care environment that threatens their ability to survive.
In my book, I look at resilience and agency among some of the most disadvantaged women I've ever met.
In my life, I've always been fascinated by people who fall down three times and get up four.
Things I've learned about resilience:
It doesn't look like most of our culture thinks it does.
It's not about being hard, thick-skinned or tough.
It has almost nothing to do with one's ability to stuff down pain.
It is not enhanced by pretending that everything is OK in the midst of a crisis.
It is unrelated to the ability to hold back tears.
It doesn't even matter whether or not you fall apart, initially, under stressful conditions.
Resilience is all about flexibility and bending in the face of the storm.
You can be extraordinarily thin-skinned and sensitive, and still be resilient: resilience means being willing to experience and work through pain rather than avoiding it.
Resilience is built on the willingness to look at hard truths.
It is actively diminished by pride and greatly enhanced by the rejection of shame.
Humor and the ability to poke fun at yourself will always help you become more resilient.
You can be resilient before, during and after you fall apart, as long as you get up one time more than you fall.
Resilience can be learned.
Really bad experiences can help create it, and for this reason, if for no other, trauma can be forged into something valuable.
