Narrative Therapy

Resilience

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“Indeed, there is less reason to be puzzled by the fact that there are so many neurotic people than by the phenomenon that most people are relatively healthy in spite of the many adverse influences they are exposed to.”
– Erich Fromm

Resilience is one of those traits that tends to fly under the radar, probably because you get noticed when you’re doing really poorly or when you’re doing really great but you kind of get lost in the crowd when you seem to be doing fine, you escape attention because you don’t stand out.

But the thing to recognize is that if conditions were adverse for you and you’re doing fine then in actuality you’re doing great considering how poorly you could be doing. Your fine has a different quality than the fine of those whose environmental conditions have always been more or less conducive to their health and happiness.

In narrative terminology we can call this insight a unique outcome. It helps set the foundation for a richer picture of your life, one that includes real strengths that have gone unappreciated or unrecognized. It’s a big deal to be resilient in the face of traumas and other struggles. Countless people buckle under similar pressures.

If you have been knocked down many times over your life and you just keep getting back up, take pride in the fact, don’t let this amazing quality escape your attention. Not everyone has it, but you do, and you have proven that you are capable of weathering the storm, of rising from the ashes. Just becoming more aware of your resilience might increase your confidence and help you take more risks in life since you have nothing to fear, you’ve been down before but you’ve never stayed down, and that’s a life attitude worth celebrating.