Resourcing as a Tool to Rebuild Resilience
I’ve been talking A LOT about resilience rebuilding lately. In part, because it’s what I wish I had known over a year ago when I was in healing from burnout and depression depths. And another part because well - WTF last 2 years of navigating a viral pandemic (oh and racial, economic, and climate crisis/pandemics). But I have found it all so enlightening and, I’ve needed that push back against the ‘bounce back to normal’ messaging that has been pervasive. This week I want to talk briefly about the practice of resourcing (as it’s used in therapeutic interventions).
PAUSE. Hey, friend, if you missed the resilience convo - check out my IG graphic on how I rebuild resilience. And here’s a short list on the highlights of how and why for rebuilding resilience, which feels so incredibly critical right now as folks in the US ‘emerge’ from the last couple years many full of anxiety, anger, grief, etc.:
Cultivating curiosity over worry (reclaims control)
Developing inner awareness as the observer (axes negativity bias)
Learning with a growth mindset (no more mistakes ruminating)
Connecting to your values and larger purpose (intrinsic motivation)
Growing our skills in self-resourcing (calms nervous system) <= insert here where resourcing comes in to reset our system!
I love the idea of resourcing - which sadly I only learned the concept this past year through the Somatic Wilderness Institute’s trauma training. It’s so simple in concept yet powerful in practice. A resource is something or someone that represents neutral, safety, goodness, etc. Resourcing is the practice of coming into presence, goodness, neutrality, relative safety. Through resilience rebuilding we are creating more and more tolerance for feeling good or neutral to hijack that stress cycle we’ve talked about before. Resourcing is the movement from stress to calm and using what you already have at your disposal (internally and externally). You have everything that you need!
Resourcing can look like:
Taking a 10 min walk and then coming back and continuing a hard conversation
Holding space for another’s emotions without fixing or minimizing them. Asking instead, ‘how can I best support you right now?’ Heck, asking that for yourself.
Focusing on something in your line of vision or mind that brings you comfort, a plant, a photo, the memory of a loved one - that’s one of my favorites to do for myself and with clients because we typically surround our work or home spaces with items that bring us comfort.
Spending time with a pet - see my Marta below
What are your ways to resource?
