Best foot forward – a lesson in resilience
I recently had a minor toe operation. It requires me to be off my feet for two weeks. That feels like an insanely long time. Usually I find it difficult to sit down and love exercise endorphins, and spend the summer running around after my three boys on their school holidays.
Pauline Hughes
Some days I’ve had to dig deep to find my most resilient self, but I’ve managed to get through without losing it (too many times). I’ve been reflecting on the things that have helped me to keep my resilience topped up in the face of a new challenge. Here’s what I’ve learned:
- To check my perspective – it’s only human to feel sorry for ourselves and wish we were in a different situation. So I’ve tried not to beat myself up. I’m aware that many people, including some of my close friends, are dealing with much worse, and my little adversity is a temporary blip. On a scale of 0 to 10, this is not a tragedy.
- To focus on the good stuff – I started this before the operation. I felt grateful to be fit and healthy, to have the opportunity to get this out of the way, and to have a partner who can help out. And after the operation, I threw myself back into ‘normal’ life – travelling to a family event, playing games with my children and catching up on work. Yes, my behind has been numb from sitting down all the time, but you can’t have everything!
- To reach out to friends – connecting with people is vital for me, rather than toughing it out alone. Some of my lovely friends have made huge efforts to see me and keep me company. Laughing with friends provides bucketloads of good rewards and has helped steer my perspective to the positive.
If you’re wondering about your own resilience, and how you might enhance it, let’s work on this together at Vivid State’s next Resilience Decoded workshop in central London on 2nd October 2019 – https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e…lete
Early bird tickets have just been released, so get yours before they go…
Pauline Hughes
Executive Coach & Strategic Comms Consultant
Coaching leaders and teams to make a bigger impact, be more resilient, and build better relationships. Brings corporate expertise as former Communications Director. ICF accredited. Associate Mind Gym coach.
