I have been thinking quite a lot about resilience lately. It has also been part of the conversations I have had in recent weeks with NHS teams about recovery and wellbeing in the knowledge that Covid-19 is going to be with us for some time to come. I have wanted to write about it but well, I have not really had the energy to do so. That creative part of me I really value seemed to have temporarily disappeared.
In her book The Resilience Dynamic Jenny Campbell defines resilience in terms of our adaptability and capacity for change. She talks a lot about balance and managing our energy. It seems to me to make a lot of sense and has caused me to reflect on what this might look like in practice.
Having arrived at another Friday evening and not quite knowing where the week had gone I noticed I was feeling pretty spent and started to consider my own resilience and wellbeing. It occurred to me that I had fallen into the trap of another week of all work and no play. The premise being that there was no time for the latter, a pretty familiar pattern if I am honest. So despite feeling fairly knackered I resolved to rise early this morning and take myself off for a walk by the sea.
Though the sun was shining, the sea was fairly lively after this week’s storms and I was being buffeted by the wind. It felt relentless and I struggled to keep hold of my baseball cap (hiding lockdown hair and all that), but with head down I resolved to push through. And then eventually as I turned a corner the wind was with me; you might even say it had my back.
It struck me as I was walking that there was a metaphor here for how I had been approaching my work these past few weeks. I had been pushing through, and whilst I love what I do, it too had felt pretty relentless. I had created a narrative for myself, particularly this week, about not having time to do what I also love which is to spend time by the sea.
It is fair to say that over the years I have resolved many a work or life problem whilst watching the waves and this was no different. Sitting on a bench with my mug of tea I noticed how expansive this little piece of coast was. Despite being lively there was a constancy to the motion of the waves and it felt so spacious. And there it was, precisely what I wanted to articulate about resilience. By taking time out I had tapped into my own creativity and made the space I needed to shape my thoughts. It had not come from being a slave to my task list and sitting at a desk until I bashed the words out.
In short it seems to me that resilience is not so much about the ‘pushing through’ or having an ability to ‘bounce back’, although both do indeed have their place. What it is about however is building slack into the system for the things that bring you joy, that give you energy, and that create a space for you to think. It is in so doing that we generate the capacity for change, tap into our resourcefulness and bolster our ability to ride the waves that inevitably come with the uncertainties and challenges that life presents.
