The Groundwork of Emotional Resiliency.

When neurological and physiological resilience is being taught, it is explained as the contrast between survival or staying alive versus engagement and learning. Feeling safe and satiated is the very foundation for all well-being and ability to explore and enjoy our moments. When under threat we disengage from life and when secure we are able to freely engage in our lives. To shift factors into moments that are enriching and empowering helps to mitigate fears, and to rewire the brain for well-being. Under-represented groups can gain greater control over their environments, grow their voice and participate for positive change within themselves, their families and communities. Gaining the courage necessary to require boundaries that include dignity, respect and a standard of loving presence. I believe that great struggle leads to real change and that all of the loss and the suffering must have meaning. That meaning is the fuel for a shift into a more autonomous, hopeful and free way of living, with more opportunity and positivity. The contrast between the burden and the freedom is a sensation like none other. Resilience and overcoming are the most powerful force in a life of liberation and true freedom. Your voice is yours, find your power. To remain in a fear driven nervous system keeps you vulnerable to manipulation from outside individuals who may not have your best interest in mind. It also keeps you closer to the constructs of the status quo, which lessens your access to your unique perspective and truth of being, ultimately erasing your individuality. Your resilience can not solely rely on the shifts in the structure of your government, community or family structure. I believe resilience occurs within the micro-moments and the micro decisions within each individual. Practicing resilience increases awareness of sensations of safety, which leads to higher access to cognition and thinking. One breath, one moment can, overtime add up to a calmer nervous system with less fear and more ability to take in knowledge and tolerate increasing levels of stress. When trauma occurs we must practice unlearning the unhealthy coping patterns and neuro-connections of fear. Mindfulness or meta-cognition is not just relaxation, it is the groundwork for emotional resilience. It is to be aware of what is happening in the present and to allow it, and accept it. To purposefully focus on a conscious, present level, to how you are developing and maintaining your situational awareness. Meta-awareness is to inquire and observe thoughts, feelings, sensations as they happen in the now. Without awareness you remain stuck in familiar habits with no choice about what you can do next, which creates feelings of less efficacy. With practice, when stressed you can gain greater capacity to step back and notice body sensations of tension and the difficult thinking and feelings that are driving the tension in your body. To pause and take note of the now, intentionally. To notice purposely and embody your moment. Noticing the rhythm of your breath and investigating and cultivating self acceptance. Body work assists with unlocking the immobilized brain. Activities including walking meditation, yoga and dancing are all known to help ground and regulate the body. The rhythmic movement and focus on slow breathing, both calm and stabilize the brain and ground the body. Move the body and change the brain. Movement makes us more malleable, improving emotional flexibility, adaptability and tolerance for change. To engage more fully without being frozen in the old habit energy of fear. Interoceptive awareness of inner sensations of emotion are more accessible and tolerable during and following participation in calming movement tasks. Labeling and granulation of the details of sensations of emotion assists us in shifting from the subconscious, where things are in disorder to the conscious where we can translate the difficult thinking into order. Overtime, resilience grows as you build courage and tolerance to fear and stress. You are more able to override the desire to retreat or move away from difficulty, and to pause and bravely face them. This improves your access to life, as you gain a sense of competence and ability to have an impact. Awareness of ones own values can be enhanced and accessed. There is great meaningfulness, improved engagement and access to greater feelings of confidence. You understand and feel that you have more choice over environmental factors and how they can shape your day and life. Small shifts, towards moments of calm silence and inner awareness are your greatest currency for overcoming obstacles, gaining your autonomy, voice and sense of your true life’s purpose.