Resilience Is a Practice
LeaderWise recognizes that as leaders and as helping professionals you are holding a lot right now! On the heels of two significant hurricanes this fall, a contentious election season, and any personal struggles you may be carrying, this time continues to be marked by intense emotion, uncertainty, tension, and heightened anxiety. We know that your parishioners, students, clients, and others are likely turning to you as they seek support, wisdom, and guidance. Now is a good time to pause and collectively remember that resilience is a practice. During the summer of 2023, LeaderWise shared a series that included eleven tangible steps that helping professionals can take to support their own resilience. We wanted to remind you of these tools and resources so that you can continue to serve those who need you.
As always, if you feel like you need more support or guidance on your journey, know that LeaderWise has spiritual directors, coaches, reflective supervisors, and therapists who would be delighted to accompany you.
When I was growing up, my family had AAA, and anytime we took a big road trip, I remember my parents getting a nicely laid out itinerary from the local AAA office. Our proposed route was identified in highlighter in a bound series of maps from our starting point to our destination and back again. Before the age of Google Maps or Mapquest, I think it helped make the journey from Neenah, WI, to some far off place feel more manageable. Over the past 11 weeks, we hope that our articles outlining eleven “tasks” of resilience might have helped you feel a little better equipped on your journey towards a more resilient life in ministry. We are grateful to Dr. Tom Skvoholt and his colleagues whose decades of research informed our writing.
So that you have easy access for future reference, the tasks (and articles) are:
Task 1: Lose one’s innocence about the need to assertively develop resiliency and self-care skills
Task 2: Develop abundant sources of positive energy
Task 3: Relish the joy and meaning of the work as a positive energy source
Task 4: Search for empathy balance
Task 5: Develop sustaining measures of success and satisfaction
Task 6: Create a “greenhouse” at work
Task 7: Connect with your own spirituality
Task 8: Find balance to the imbalance of too many one-way caring relationships in one’s personal life
Task 9: Max out the body as a source of positive energy
Task 10: Long-term continual focus on the development of the self
Task 11: Have fun and be playful
