Hello to 2017. I hope you had the chance to have a replenishing break over the holidays. Replenish is my word for the year – my guide to remind myself to put back what I give out. It seems to be a proactive and nurturing goal to strive for.
The past few months have been challenging as I negotiate the realities of being one of the sandwich generation, balancing the needs of young children and aging parents. Nothing new to many of you I’m sure. This dance of supporting others isn’t always graceful, flowing or rhythmic. “When the music changes, so does the dance.” (African proverb). There has been a staccato beat lately with some screeches of badly played violin. I try to hold onto the idea that life is a cycle and challenging times are followed by ease. This discordant patch has raised interesting revelations about resilience, boundaries, values and what it takes to maintain my wellbeing in my practice.
Resilience skills are key to maintaining our wellbeing in practice during crises. I’ve talked in previous blogs about what tips the balance for an individual when it comes to work stress. I’ve mused lately on whether resilience skills are like the balance pole used by tightrope walkers, or the grippy shoes, or maybe the sturdier rope we can build over time as we layer up our self-care rituals and well-being strategies – eating well, setting boundaries, exercising, replenishing….
In this resource from Skylight New Zealand resilience building is described as “a process that’s ongoing – it involves attitudes, perspectives, thoughts, actions and behaviours that can be learned and developed – it involves taking many small steps”. To download the full resource click here. FACTORS THAT HELP BUILD UP RESILIENCE TO COPE WITH LIFE
In recent times I have been extremely grateful for the resilience strategies I have built into habits over time, for my friendships and support network, and for my past jobs in the hospital system (it does help to understand the system).
“Stifling an urge to dance is bad for your health – it rusts your spirit and your hips.” – Terri Guillemets. Happy dancing in 2017.
