Keys to Building Resilience

There are moments in our lives that require building resilience in ways we never expected or knew we needed.

Moments that remind us to trust, hope and move forward in faith.

This past year has been that for me personally and professionally. I’ve needed resilience.

I’ve needed to return to life, recover from trauma, and rebound in ways I never expected to experience or endure.

As organized as I tend to be, I never planned for the twists and turns that life has recently taken or required.

When I was praying about my word for 2024, the word “restore” kept coming to mind. I laughed a little to myself because, as I played with the word in my mind, it happened to rhyme.

Restore 2024

I wrote it in my journal and decided it was the word, even if it rhymed.

I’ve been in a long season of restoration, of building resilience, of finding out how resilient I actually could be.

Restoring health, joy, hope, strength, and peace.

Restoring my love for reading and writing.

Restoring my ability to rest and sleep, cry, and play.

Restoring capacity for things that I love.

The word “restore” is more than just a word to remember.

The word in its full meaning has become a daily practice, a conscious effort, a work of self-care.

Restoration is part of building resilience.

But I didn’t feel strong enough for the process. I didn’t feel resilient, capable or ready to rebound when I began the journey of healing.

I felt tired, nervous, frazzled and foggy. I felt unsure and out of sorts. I felt stuck in between two very real, very hard, very challenging realities.

I felt scared, terrified really. Daring to be brave, as Brene Brown would say.

I’d come to the end of me during this season. I found a soft-strength that I didn’t know God was building in me.

I felt the real and ugly realities of recognizing my need to return, recover, rebound, and build resilience.

Even trying to write this post has pushed me to dig deep and put to words something I don’t yet know how to explain. I’m living something I don’t know how to do after going through something incredibly challenging and now, facing the incoming year in a whole new season of life.

I wasn’t ready for building resilience in another transition, season or struggle.

How would I find the resilience to bounce back after such an emotional, life-changing experience?

Even more, do I have the resiliency to keep going and keep healing, keep learning, keep moving forward?

Resilience means “the power or ability to return to the original form, position, etc., after being bent, compressed, or stretched; elasticity.”

Another definition for resilience means, “ability to recover readily from illness, depression, adversity, or the like; buoyancy.”

Historically, the Latin word resiliens means “the act of rebounding.”

Returning, recovering, rebounding… words that I am learning to live each day. These are words for building resilience physically, mentally, spiritually and emotionally.

Building Resilience

Connection – A part of building resistance is building your connection to healthy relationships, community, work, and even, yourself. Self-care and self-compassion, connecting with what you love, finding what you like, enjoying the things around you, finding hope in small things, and staying thankful are beautiful ways to build connection to yourself and the world around you.

Growth – Cultivate ways to grow personally, professionally, spiritually, emotionally, and relationally. Personal growth means becoming self-aware to ways that you need to grow in each of those areas. Building resilience is taking steps towards that growth.

Focus – In building resilience, you must learn to focus, pay attention, and give time to this day, this season, this opportunity, this challenge. One day, one step, one moment at a time. Focusing in on things that bring joy, develop strength, show daily growth, and highlight small accomplishments as you encourage yourself along the way.

Learn – What skills can be developed? What new thought patterns, habits, direction, schedules, processes could help build resilience? What limiting beliefs and internal systems are holding you back from learning and growing?

Permission – Are you giving yourself permission to make mistakes, go slowly, try, practice, and develop new things as you return, recover and rebound? Are you letting yourself build thankfulness, gratitude, joy, and hope in your current season?

Help – Where do you need help? What part of your story needs held with you? Where do you feel stuck or hopeless or defeated? Do you need someone, or a team of someone’s, to help, ask questions, and challenge you in building resilience?

As look at the new year, I am rolling the word resilience around in my head.

Can I return, recover and rebound?

For you and for me, where will this resilience, this strength come from?

In my heart, I know. I know where the resilience will come from.

I will keep connecting, growing, learning, focusing, giving myself permission, and getting help.

Yet, spiritually, on a soul deep level, where will this resilience come from?

Through it all, the sweet whispers of Jesus reminded me that He is the source of each ounce of resiliency I possess.

He is the author of recovery. He offers the power to rebound.

He invites us to stretch and grow and learn with him.

Some of the simplest verses filled with the most amazing promises reinforce these foundational truths. Verses that are building resiliency in us with their sweet words of hope and life.

Philippians 4:13 says, “I am able to do all things through Him who strengthens me.”

I can return, recover and rebound because He strengthens me.

Ephesians 6:10 says, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.”

I can be strong in His power.

Joshua 1:9 says, “…Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

I don’t have to be overwhelmed, afraid or discouraged because He is with me wherever I go.

That is only three verses of many, many promises of help, encouragement and hope that are found in God’s Word.

Digging deep for resiliency means grabbing on to these verses. It means holding on to the promises. It means believing and trusting that God’s Word is true even for this.

When I don’t feel resilient, when the above suggestions seem so hard, He is there offering the strength, power and courage I need to face the challenges ahead.

Returning, recovering and rebounding in His ability not my own.

I’m experiencing a resilience that can only come from the Lord and His mighty power at work in me.

Have you faced a moment when you didn’t feel resilient? Have you walked through challenges that required you to dig deep for resiliency?

What verses help you when you need to dig deep for the strength to return, recover and rebound?

Do you need someone to walk through this with you?