The Prosilience Blog
From Resolutions to Results: 10 Tools for Successful Change
The new year is a great time to think about fresh starts. Yet, as we all know, it's a lot easier to make resolutions than to turn them into lasting change. Here are ten suggestions for moving from resolutions to results: 1....
Music and Resilience
A while back, the obituaries page in my newspaper had two stories on it. One was about Maria von Trapp, the last surviving member of the family who was the basis for "The Sound of Music." They escaped from Nazi-occupied Austria in 1938, and went on to perform music...
Depression: Companions on the Journey
One of our goals at My Resilience Gym is to provide connections to resources for dealing with various kinds of adversity. Depression is one of the most common challenges in today's world. Whether you have encountered depression yourself or have a friend or loved one...
My Right Foot: Resilience Practice
A little over two weeks ago I stepped off a curb, my right foot twisted sideways, and I broke a bone (the base of the 5th metatarsal, for those of you who are curious!) I'm now wearing a boot on that foot, and can't drive my car. Since I try to practice what I preach,...
Ten Ways to Strengthen Your Resilience
1. Practice calming yourself down. Your brain reacts quickly when you perceive danger or threat. It moves into "fight or flight" mode, which makes it difficult to respond thoughtfully to the challenges you face. You can tell your brain everything is ok by taking deep...
Working with Veterans: A Healing Practice
David Bothe is a friend of mine who does healing work with a wide range of people. He has recently started a nonprofit organization called Hope and Haven that, as part of its mission, provides healing services for veterans, trauma survivors, their families and...
Basic Warmup Exercises
The goal of resilience warmup exercises is to help you feel relaxed and calm so you can think and react more effectively when facing challenges. All of the other resilience muscles work more easily and effectively when you are warmed up. If you practice one or more of...
Basic Experimenting Exercises
Your experimenting muscle is strong when you can courageously try new things when facing adversity. This muscle is useful because it helps you take actions that might feel scary but will help you achieve better outcomes. Some simple daily exercises you can use to...
Basic Structure Exercises
Your structure muscle is strong when you can stick to an approach or plan when facing adversity. This muscle is useful because it helps you plan and get things done, even when it's tough to do so. Some simple daily exercises you can use to strengthen this muscle...
Basic Connection Exercises
Your connection muscle is strong when you find it easy to reach out to others for help when facing adversity. This muscle is useful because others can provide many different kinds of assistance including practical support, emotional support, knowledge, and skills....