Have you ever seen those wobbly, roly, poly baby toys that you can never knock over or keep down. They always pop up when you release them.
Like this penguin right here! Just picture him being pushed down and coming right back up no matter what you do to keep him down. You can sit on him, but once you stand, he will pop right back up. You can put him under a pillow, but remove the pillow and he is back on his feet.
Why does he do that? What makes him so....RESILIENT? Does he have a super power????
I guess, before we talk about that, we should define resilience. I like to think of resilience as the ability to "bounce back" when things don't go as planned.
And there are different areas of resilience:
Physical Resilience--your body's capacity to meet physical challenges when they arise, such as sickness or accidents, and it's ability to heal or manage ongoing health conditions.
Social Resilience--is all about connection to others and how we can support each other through difficult times.
Mental Resilience--refers to our ability to meet challenging circumstances through problem solving, coming up with variable alternatives, or being agile, creative and flexible with our ideas and thinking, and the ability to work with change to develop solutions to issues as they arise.
Emotional Resilience--is how we manage our emotional response to challenges and deal with our feelings and 'negative' emotions like anger, fear, vulnerability, or sadness.
It is worth noting that although all the types of resilience are important, emotional resilience is the key to our capacity to keep afloat during challenging times as it directly relates to our mental health and our ability to persevere, sustain ourselves and manage adverse reactions from the people around us who are also likely to be struggling with a range of issues.
So, how does that wobbly penguin do it? Keep popping back up each time he is knocked down? What makes him so resilient? It is quite simply how he is made. He has a perfect center of gravity. No matter which direction he falls, the pull of gravity will bring him back to the upright position.
So, how are you made? Do you have a perfect center of gravity that will bring you back to center when you face challenges? And the most important question of all--What IS your center of gravity?
I believe we all need to have faith in something greater than ourselves and it is that faith that will sustain us through the challenges of life. It is that faith that will always bring us back to center through the ups and downs of everyday living. For me, my center of gravity is my faith in God.
If you are struggling and finding it hard to bounce back from life's challenges, click the button below and let's make resilience your Super Power!