CSH Mindfulness Newsletter – Issue 23 Honoring our Resilience and Grace this Holiday Season
Honoring the measure of resilience and grace that has emerged over the past two years.
December 1, 2021
Mariann Johnson
It goes without saying that the past two years have been difficult, on so many levels and for so many of us. Experiences of uncertainty, loss and increased anxiety come to mind. Perhaps not so easily recognized however, is the measure of resilience and grace that has also emerged.
During COVID some of us lost our jobs, were forced to move, or to adjust to a variety of unwanted new normals. Parents took on teaching and principal roles, we offered heartfelt appreciation to a variety of hardworking and previously unrecognized front-line workers, and we learned to regularly mask up in consideration of the wellbeing of others. Among friends, conversations often turned to what we value most in life and how to express those values more fully and authentically in our daily lives. Not one of us has gone untouched or unchanged.
As we enter this holiday season, it may be helpful to pause and reflect upon all that you have learned, how you have grown or are growing, and to honor your own and others' resilience. Consider taking your mindful reflection to a journal or sharing it in conversation with a partner, family member or a good friend. You may naturally find yourself wanting to extend appreciation to those who have helped you along the way. Or you may be inspired by your own and others’ innate capacity to grow and adapt, to be resilient, even during the most challenging of times.
In the spirit of this holiday season, you may also feel compelled to pay it forward – to do whatever you can, in whatever way you are able, to support others who are experiencing difficulties. As author and mindfulness practitioner Anne Lamott writes, “Gratitude begins in our hearts and then dovetails into behavior. It almost always makes you willing to be of service, which is where the joy resides … when you are aware of all that has been given to you, in your lifetime and the past few days, it is hard not to be humbled, and to be pleased to give back.”
Tips for Honoring and Enhancing Resilience
1) Learn more about resilience from noted researcher and author, Dr. Stephen Southwick, M.D. Southwick recommends three key things to boost your personal resilience: build a supportive social network, be guided by your deepest sense of spirituality, meaning and/or values, and develop practical ways to manage your stress. Southwick includes mindfulness meditation and movement practices as evidence-based tools for enhancing resilience.
2) Consider starting out the new year by deepening or renewing your mindfulness meditation practice. Register to participate in the Center’s January 22nd half-day mindfulness meditation retreat.
4) If you haven’t already done so, consider joining the Center’s Mindful Mondays community! Sign up for our free, weekly virtual drop-in sessions offering mindfulness meditation and gentle mindful movement.
5) Learn 10 Ways to be Grateful and view short videos on the personal and relational benefits of gratitude featuring researcher and author Dr. Robert Emmons.
