Hey ,
How are you holding up this week?
When I give my stress resilience talks, I often ask the group, "If your current stress was a song title, which song would it be?" It's a fun ice breaker that helps people tap into the part of their brain thatâs primed for problem-solving, planning, and decision-makingâall key skills for building resilience.
But how resilient are we actually expected to be?
This seems to be the question on everyone's mind lately. In theory, resilience is about adapting. The stress you face, the way you work through it, and the tools you gain should help you better handle the next challenge. The key is understanding what contributes to your strength and, just as importantly, when it's time to take a break.
Research shows that when we're resourced in the following ways, we're better equipped for resilience:
- Supportive Relationships: It's not important how many you have, but it's how trusting and supportive they are that matter.
- Finding Purpose: Acknowledging what you're here to do each day, no matter how small, can give you a sense of direction.
- Meaningful Reflection: Thinking about how youâve navigated tough times before can remind you of your strengths.
- Finding Hope: Engaging in activities like exercise, listening to music, or spending time in nature can remind you that growth is all around you and life is ever-changing.
- Basic Self-Care: Tending to your foundational needsâfood, water, movement, sleep, and connectionâis fundamental. If you or a loved one are struggling with any of these, findhelp.org provides amazing direction to food pantries, community aid, and more.
- Small Action: When stress makes you feel stuck, take one small step. A five-minute walk. Wash one dish. Send one email. That one small effort will often lead to another.
What happens when the stress is far too overwhelming for the list above?
Many of us are right here, right now. Our resilience is dwindling and our tolerance for more is low. This is a sign that itâs time to shore up our resourcesâto strengthen or bolster something that is weak or likely to fail.
When life gets too heavy, even the most "magical" meditation can't restart your engine - and this is normal. Our maintenance tools for resilience are often not well-matched for major situations. If you've been feeling like you're resilience has been running on fumes, it's time to find the support you need before a collapse happens:
- Create a ânoâ list. Protecting your time and space can help give you some space to decide on next steps. Do you need a short break to recover? Or is it time for help from a loved one or professional?
- Ask for help from a loved one. Your social support network is there for you to lean on if you need to vent or talk things through. Reach out to a friend for a virtual chat or pick up the phone and call a family member.
- Reach out to a mental health professional - Talking to someone can provide the support you need in helping you take your next steps towards resilience.
- Call your primary care doctor - Often they can help you with a referral or resource in the meantime that you might not have access to otherwise.
This is by no means an exhaustive list, but hopefully will offer some perspective and ideas that might help this week if things are feeling particularly heavy for you this week.
Remember that the times we're living in right now contain more details of chaos, tragedy, and overwhelm than we've ever engaged with before. Doing your best to strike the balance between staying informed and helping your brain rest is more important than ever for ongoing resilience.
Sending hope for a peaceful week ahead. Thank you for being here.
Living Well With You, Not At You,
Coach JZ (Jenna)
P.S. If you feel like your resilience could use a pick me up, that's definitely in my professional wheelhouse. Not sure? Through a consult, we can find out if a referral is what you need right now and I'll be happy to point you in the right direction towards a mental health professional if needed. Book below.
P.P.S. Fall health coaching spots are opening soon. If you've been considering working with me, hit reply and let's chat. I'll be opening 3 weekly/bi-weekly spaces (high support) and will have more info about a new (very affordable) 6- month accountability coaching program coming soon!
Save The Dates:
Group Pilates & Fitness Classes at It's Lit Studio:
September Schedule:
Mondays - 6pm: Sweat and Shine
7:30pm: Weekly Reset Pilates - all levels (this is a postural reset class with a special meditation at the end)
Wednesdays - 6pm: Step and Stretch (step aerobics)
Thursdays - 6pm: Inner Circle Pilates ( a magic-circle-based, inclusive class with lots of variations)
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