Bouncing Back

Last week I attended a webinar on managing stress in a time like the pandemic we’re living through today.

It was said that the art of bouncing back is the ability to modify thoughts actions and behaviors as needed in order to succeed.

The goal is to focus on your zone of control to engage in behaviors that build resilience.

The FORCE of resiliency is comprised of:

Flexibility

Optimism

Resourcefulness

Curiosity

Empathy

To be curious about alternatives to choose from as options to employ strikes a chord with me.

In short keeping an open mind and trying a variety of techniques to see what works.

For too long I’ve put off starting the art practice I want to have. I might have talked in here before about having a practice:

A culinary practice. An exercise practice. And for me I’ve wanted for years to have an art practice.

Seeing how you can impose a structure to your routine could help if you ask me.

I find myself with two and three hour chunks of time. Breaking up the day into time zones for activities can help.

Julie Morgenstern wrote about this in her book Time Management from the Inside Out.

How can any of us bounce back when we feel like we’re adrift with no anchor?

Resiliency requires that you first acknowledge where you are and what capabilities you have right now.

The metaphor is that of “ducks”–where like a duck you have everything together on the surface and underneath you’re pedaling with challenges.

I’ve had my share of challenges since March when my day job shut down. I’m glad we have returned to work this month.

Most people bluff. It’s rare that a person is outspoken about struggling. Maybe you don’t want to appear weak in a country–America–where the myth of rugged individualism persists.

Though I’ve struggled I can vouch for the benefits of cultivating the FORCE of resiliency.

Empathy is called for now more than ever in society.

In the next blog entry I’ll talk more about strategies for resiliency.