Resilience is a muscle

Today was dose 2 of the 4th cycle, of the 9th chemotherapy treatment. I’m able to keep going because I have a HOPE that doesn’t depend on how I feel, or where my disease is up to. I have a Saviour that loves me, who I want to say “well done” to my face one day. He suffered for me, and what I have gone through gives me a small taste of what He has done for me. There is a purpose for everything, even my cancer. I may never find out why, but I know that I can help others that are new to this journey and give advice based on the experiences that I have had. Recently a friend called me a “cancer battle warrior”. I keep putting one foot in front of the other. There are good days, and hard days. Every day is another opportunity to say yes to whatever God gives me to do.

Love this post…thank you, Denise and Jenelle ! I feel the same…life throws a lot of curves, so resilience is key to best survival and even thriving… keeping hope alive….to me, there should be more emphasis on resilience and how to develop and maintain it.. thank you !

Food for thought:
Can resilience be taught? Expanded by life events?
Or are we each born with a different amount of it and that’s that?

@ffr
I believe we’re born with a certain amount of resilience, some more than others, and the rest is hard earned. I’ve found those who’ve had the most life challenges are the most resilient. Those who have had smooth sailing their entire life tend to fall apart at the first sign of trouble even when it’s minor. For that reason, I’m lucky my life has had plenty of challenges leaving me with an abundance of resilience.

You must be resilient, as you deemed your life’s challenges to be a positive! 😉
May your challenges decrease and your resilience be shared.

@ffr good question. In an interview Jane Fonda said she believes people are born with it. I think that is a true statement, but I think it can be developed. I'm not sure if it can be taught because it so different for everyone. Resilience is attitude. You decide to be resilient. Then the skills need it to become resilient have to be developed. But if you do not have the attitude that you can withstand whatever gets thrown to you, then resilience will be beyond your reach.
I'm just making up my own theory really
Denise

My theory is similar to yours. We never know what we were born with until tested. But don’t call me a warrior. I just did what I needed to do.

@denisestlouie I agree with you, Denise. I think resilience is a combination of what we’re born with, what we learn in our childhood but also what we learn along the way. I would not have described myself as resilient when I was younger but with enough potholes, some very big potholes(!) along the way, I’ve figured out better ways to keep going forward. I would say I no longer fall into those big holes and give up. HOPE - optimism with a plan - gets me out of the hole.

This is a really good topic, Denise. Thank you for posting this.

@ffr I like thinking of myself as a warrior. I always have. My middle name is Louise. Louise is a warrior. In my 30s there was a tv program called Xena princesses warrior. It was hokey but I loved Xena. She was strong and brave. She was righting wrongs. I saw myself in her.

I'm a warrior.

See resilience is different for us.

Denise

@denisestlouie I loved the character “Xena”. Now I will think of you as Xena, the princess warrior.