5 Lessons I Learned About Resilience While Practicing Therapy
During my few years as a therapist I have witnessed patients overcome the unthinkable. I have had the privilege of guiding strong individuals to find their own ways to adapt and move forward after facing the most difficult challenges in their lives. During this experience I have become more and more fascinated with the human spirit and with the choice to be resilient. Resilience is a layered attribute that cannot be fully described in a short article. These are just my personal observations of the resilient individuals I have had the honor to work with.
This is what I have learned so far:
1. Resilience does not always come naturally.
Like most behaviors resiliency is learned. We often develop our understanding of resiliency early on by observing our closest caregivers. Resilient individuals often have parents who communicated that when life throws you curve balls you can lean on your supports, search for solutions and that everything is temporary. Fortunately, if your parents struggled to demonstrate resilient behavior you can still develop resiliency. It is never too late to begin to adjust your thinking patterns and behaviors. Some individuals whose parents did not model resiliency simply decide they want a life that is different from what they have…
