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Like so many of you, this unprecedented pandemic is requiring me to dig deep and learn lessons on building resilience. As a result, I’ve been spending a lot of time reflecting and looking inward.
It’s not that I haven’t visited these quiet places over the years — especially, those years I was in deep grief and life was truly slower. But this is especially a time of realization for all — to learn our lessons and grow at the soul level. It’s like we are in soul school. And as we grow, our resilience becomes stronger.
With this in mind, I want to share with you my top strategies and tools for resiliency.
Resilience can be defined as our ability to bounce back from adversity.
But to me, it’s far more than that. Especially in light of these “shelter in place and social distance” days.
I also see building resilience as our ability to call on grace as we move forward in challenging times, and adapt to a new flow of daily life.
In these times of pandemic, we need strategies on building resiliency so we can:
not engage in our low moods
make good choices for our health
Plus it’s key we choose to step into every day life as best as we can, despite the fact that we may be grieving our lost freedom.
What our soul longs for is to use the challenges we face for learning — and soul growth.
I hope these lessons on building resiliency bring you the inner strength and calm you need.
Lesson 1: Building Resilience By Honoring Feelings
We are inhabiting a world in grief right now, mourning many losses . . .
There are the big losses, from the loss of life to the loss of financial security. These two losses present somewhat of a paradox.
Social distancing prevents the loss of life
Plus it wreaks havoc on our economy
But there are also the other losses. We are no longer able to go out to our favorite restaurants with our loved ones. And we’ve lost our freedom to enjoy our beaches and hiking trails with the reckless abandon that nature offers to us.
The loss of physical connection — our ability to hug and connect without social distance — is counterintuitive to our biological and psychological imprint.
Life is no longer proceeding as normal. I don’t know about you, but I feel like we are living in a science-fiction movie where we’re seeing on the screen exactly what we’re seeing in daily life. Everyone is wearing masks and standing six to ten feet apart — wondering if some germ might infect them next.
When you acknowledge and feel your loss, you won’t try to hide from it by numbing yourself. You will have your moments of grief. But as you feel you will heal. Your natural resiliency will bump you back into a better place, where you can keep it all in perspective.
Lesson 2: Building Resilience By Understanding That We Will Transform
What I know is this: transformation is messy. And this sure marks a transformation!
The changing times are happening now. And something new will be birthed.
I am reminded to go back to some spiritual truths that remain constant.
We are all connected to the same source – to a universal heartbeat, to light, to love – and while in form – to one earth.
We’re connected by some invisible organism – that is wreaking havoc and destruction on our world.
It’s important to remember: What is destroyed will allow for something new to grow.
Lesson 3: Accept That Change Brings Challenge
Have you ever been driving in the snow, following along with the tracks that were there, only to skid out when out of those guiding grooves? That’s what going through change is like. You’re temporarily out of the grooves that allow you to glide.
I don’t like masks. They aren’t comfortable. And quite frankly, I’ve been working my whole life to not wear a mask — free to be me — without barrier to another.
This is my new conundrum. I’m guessing that our collective challenge will be discovering how to read non-verbal communication and connect through that mask. Change brings challenge.
More than ever our words will matter – and we will have to speak up.
All of this makes me think of my father. He is 87 and can’t hear any longer even with his aids. He reads lips.
What will he do when he wants to communicate?
How will he social distance and still hear another person speak?
Yet, I am reminded that there is some mystery in all of this — and in my spiritual world.
Yes, indeed, change brings with it challenge and also great growth.
Lesson 4: Building Resilience by Listening to and Managing Your Inner World
Now, more than ever, we are called to tune into our inner voice — the one that speaks wisdom from the heart. Listen, listen, listen to that whisper inside.
It is how you listen and manage your inner world that determines your experience of what’s happening. It is the thoughts you have about your experience that matter most to your experience.
One repetitive inquiry permeates my inner world right now.
I keep hearing this one question:
If you were God, divine love (and YOU ARE!), and it was time for the world to change and for the message in the mess to emerge, and to end “separation,” what would you do?
This is, after all, our collective consciousness dream! As much as we don’t like it, we are indeed co-creating this!
Lesson 5: Choose Empowerment
If you ask, “why is this happening to us,” you are sitting in a victimhood position where there is no place to go but in a downward spiral.
The most empowered way through life is to ask, “why is this happening for us?”
This one question helps you in flexing your faith muscles, knowing that even the most horrific events have shown up to reveal something profound at the soul level.
Your soul called for this time and so did mine. Why have we come to earth, anyways, but to share the collective experience of what it means to be a human being.
We are here to ….
transform our light into something brilliant
learn and grow in this earthbound soul school classroom
be resilient, together, as we struggle and as we experience joy
Right now, the soul curriculum suggests that a simpler life is called for. This is a reset. We are restoring balance and harmony for Mother Earth, Father Sky, and for me and YOU.
Your soul is calling you to retreat and to see clearly right now. Can you see this? Can you stay the course?
Lesson 6: Surrender to Your New Dream
As this all unfolds in time and resolves itself — and it will — a new dream awaits. We will all be asking the same question together, “What Now?”
The answer will reveal itself like the lotus growing out of the swamp of muck. Change always brings with it the possibility to wake up to a new dream and a new life.
We are on a personal and collective roller coaster. Let’s ride in sweet surrender, arms high above our heads as we take the curves.
And let’s decide to enjoy the ride no matter what. The act of surrender brings with the embrace of grace. This loving embrace comforts and holds us in tough times and makes for a much smoother ride.
My prayer for you…
May you continue to call on all of your courage and do the right thing for you and everyone.
My “right thing” is to listen to the science of this time over politics. Follow those instructions and stay the course.
We are in this together — as one, alone as well as all one, together.
Personally, as the economy opens, I will keep my distance and do my part to wait patiently while masked.
Get More Resiliency Support
I have been creating resources to hold you during this time — like my 21 days of resiliency podcast series that you can pick up any time. People are finding my golden pauses that I do in every episode to be particularly helpful right now. They’re using them to successfully calm down.
Remember, the universe has you – and I’m here too!
Treasure the gifts of life and love,
P. S. I’ve also launched a new Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff Happiness Training Course: You Can Be Mindful! Practicing Mindfulness for Clarity and Calm with Dr. Shauna Shapiro; mindfulness expert and bestselling author of Good Morning, I Love You.
Try the course out today for an introductory low price of $29.99 for lifetime access. You will ALSO receive FREE monthly video group coaching calls.
Join us to learn how to feel peace and calm no matter what’s happening.
building resilience, resilience pandemic
Kristine Carlson, New York Times Bestselling author and world-renowned speaker, is passionate about spreading her message of waking up to life with joy and gratitude amidst the ups and downs of their earthly existence.
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