Resilience Is A Thing

Plucky Girl

A few years ago, a friend of mine declared over coffee that I was ‘plucky’. It was surprising, because I hadn’t heard that word in any context for a while, and it brought images to mind of some characters from TV comedies, or more often, cartoon characters. After googling the term, I was confronted with the ‘Plucky Girl tv trope’. FYI, some other similar tropes are: Action Girl, Determinator, and there’s always Polyanna. Not me, according to my friend…I’m Plucky Girl.

Nothing ever gets Plucky Girl down. Whatever happens in the course of an episode or a movie, no matter how many obstacles are put in her path-- she presses through with bravery and optimism.

So just visualize Giselle in Enchanted, or leading lady Belle in Beauty and the Beast, Tiana from The Princess and the Frog, or Annie! Hmmmm…these characters tend to break out in song too, at their most stressful circumstances. Ok, now I get it. I am totally Plucky Girl! Usually.

Anyway, Webster’s Dictionary, and a few other references define plucky as: brave, spirited, feisty, spunky, gutsy; having courage or heart. You can understand why being ‘plucky’ in your life, or demonstrating these qualities, can drive you forward through a lot of frustration, difficulty, setbacks, grief, or even suffering. You can’t deny that our life’s journey can be impacted and enhanced in all kinds of ways, if we’re willing to push forward in courage and optimism.

And for sure, this Plucky Girl is resilient.

Resilience and Bouncing Back

There’s a lot of discussion in our culture about being resilient in the face of adversity. It’s a really good mindset to nurture. And it can be developed to some degree through our thoughts, behaviors and actions. Forming a resilient outlook, or perhaps just being predisposed in this way, has been connected to success and strength. Personal, emotional, and psychological health and happiness are tied to resiliency. Organizations chase down resiliency in their workforce, and generally want to build a solid ability for their business to flex to market and industry fluctuations. It’s the mark of enterprises that are built to last.

Now back to individual or emotional health. A person that demonstrates resiliency has the capacity to:

• quickly recover from difficult situations and circumstances--adapt

• be flexible to spring back into shape, or back to a healthy emotional norm;

• adapts well in the face of adversity or significant sources of stress.

Wow, as I contemplate this, so many examples come to mind of people in history, or people groups over the decades or centuries that have certainly demonstrated resiliency in the face of injustice, trauma, and really unthinkable obstacles. We all can point to someone in our family or local community that comes to mind as well. They become heroes/heroines as we read about, or personally witness strength in times of extreme upheaval, like health crises, loss, natural disasters, oppression, religious or ethnic persecution, and sadl,y, so many more hard- to- fathom situations.

But resiliency is not a ‘super power’. It IS a healthy mental mindset that helps us engage our strengths and support systems to overcome adversity and hardship.

Building Resilient ‘Muscles’

Cornell Health in Ithaca NY maintains that “resilience is not a fixed state.” We can be more or less resilient at different times in different seasons of our lives. And “resilience can be learned, practiced, developed, and strengthened.” Whew! I intuitively know this, but it’s good to get some research and science-based support as well.

There is a correlation between general mental and emotional wellness and our ability to deliberately engage in the kind of thought patterns and behaviors that replenish physical, mental, and emotional reserves. The healthy outcome looks a lot like a renewed sense of balance, and strength, and focus. So, it may be time to commit to nurturing wellness and self-reflection, with a goal of attaining balance, and thriving (did I say thriving?), in the midst of our circumstances. Here are some helpful ideas:

• Practice gratitude every day—for yourself and to your Creator; journal

• Form and maintain strong relationships

• Cultivate optimism!

• Learn, learn, learn from experience (a key theme of my blogs and my website, and my business)

• Take care of yourself; Practice self-compassion

• Make time for quiet reflection, prayer, meditation, spend time in nature

• Eat well, move, and get enough sleep

• Manage stress

• Develop new skills and interests

• Meet a variety of people; get out of your comfort zone

• Be aware that you may need to seek help from a mental health professional, a trusted confidant or a counselor.

It seems a good time for a reminder. I am a Christian, and everything I talk about, and every answer, perspective and approach is always filtered through biblical teaching, which I firmly believe is the Word of God to us. And it’s provided for our ultimate good.

Here’s a scripture that encourages and builds my faith that God Will work to accomplish wholeness and peace in my life and yours. I love this scripture from the OT in Isaiah, because a portion of it is read by Jesus, as recorded in the gospel of Luke, to tell the hearers that He had come to fulfill this scripture, in their hearing. Wow!

Isaiah 61:1-3

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives, and release from darkness for the prisoners…

to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion,

to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of heaviness.

They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor.”

Grace and Peace,

Robin M.