A Resilience Toolkit for Challenging Times
For more than ten years, my Sunday Morning Cafe weekly blog has attempted to achieve a kind of alchemy that combines spiritual, psychological, and family systems elements with a generous portion of story-telling poured into the mix. My hope has always been to convey thoughtful reflection and practical suggestions “In the time it takes to drink a cup of coffee.”
As we approached mid-March, the impact of this pandemic began to reveal itself to me. Having Dr. Lisa as a spouse gave me a front row seat to observe the enormity of the disruptions that were coming our way. In her dual administrative roles in healthcare, her workdays expanded as her hours sleeping shrunk. Although I doubt Lisa felt this way, from my perch, I could see that she was making an amazing difference in her corner of the world, especially in light of the enormity of the challenges faced.
Out of a desire to do likewise, I recalled my longstanding research and educational interest in resilience. That is what led me to change up my blog site from a written format to a channel that featured ten minute episodes on resilience strategies for a pandemic. My humble hope is this: to do something…anything… that could provide solidarity, support, and tools to get through this once-in-a-life-time challenge.
This week, I return to the written word not to publish an article, but rather a written summary of those videos. This week, you will find “A Resilience Toolkit” that summarizes much of the content on those videos, and adds more reflection and practical exercises for you and your family, or those closest to you that serve as your family these days.
Do not feel compelled to read it in one sitting, as it is meant more as a practical handbook than an article. Perhaps this could be the source of a discussion, or the subject of your reflection over many cups of coffee, and not just on Sunday morning. You might evaluate which ones of these strategies you have been employing and which ones you could add to your toolbox.
Thank you for reading. Here’s wishing you and your loves peace and health.
Click here to download a PDF of the Toolkit
