On Resiliency.

One of my mindfulness students recently inquired;

“Marissa, what does it mean to gain resiliency? How do I become resilient in my day to day life? Do I learn it from pain and will it make me strong?”

The young lady pondering was genuinely inquisitive. Being heavily on the timid side, I was delighted she brought “resiliency” into our light of discussion.

I believe resiliency is the human experiences’ greatest gift. Resiliency is shaped by overcoming difficulties and countless unforeseen obstacles. The human spirit alone is resilient; consistently rebounding from pain and its unexpected dilemmas. Humans become resilient due to pains' uncoded messages. Pain is the missing piece following some of life’s greatest lessons. In moments of pain, we learn how much to tolerate and handle moments seemingly unfathomable. After the painful moment passes (and it will!), we mindfully look to this instance with a wave of strength. This is a perfect example of resiliency in action – being mindful and facing pain in the present. It comes as no surprise resiliency requires a great deal of mindfulness. Pains' lesson does not come immediately because humans would avoid growth. Growth is another foundation for resiliency. The combination of pain, growth and learning make up its unshakable persona. 

I’ll leave you with this quote by one of my favorite authors, Khalil Gibran:

“Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.”

After the scars and suffering, resiliency will be following pains' shadow. Once it emerges, it will lend a comforting embrace to the soul. Your healing begins here...

How have you faced resiliency in your own life?