Word of the day

Resistance and silver linings

To be resilient from a psychological perspective is to be able to face adversity and get out of it stronger.

Throughout life, we face many different challenges. A four-year-old may feel that it is the end of the world that he forgot his cuddly teddy bear again, when the evening comes and he is going to bed. A ten-year-old may feel that it is the end of the world that she was not allowed by her parents to go to a concert. A fifteen-year-old may feel that it is the end of the world that he got a worse grade than he had hoped for, on the math exam. A nineteen-year-old may feel that it is the end of the world that she did not get into the study she wanted - in the city she wanted to live in. A thirty-year-old may feel that it is the end of the world that the relationship ended. Or that he bulged the car on the way out of the parking lot after hoarding toilet paper. A seventy-four-year-old can feel it as the end of the world that his life partner is diagnosed with cancer for fifty years.

What we see as major challenges and difficult adversity changes throughout life. Things you think were difficult a few years ago, you may not think are as bad today. Things you think are challenging now, you may not think are as challenging in a year.

Many of us are frustrated because we are not allowed to go to school, work, concerts, events, parties and gatherings. This is the first time Norwegians have experienced such restrictions since World War II. Our free everyday life has been turned upside down a bit.

No one wants adversity. And no one wants those you care about to experience adversity. Experience, on the other hand, shows that it is impossible to avoid facing adversity in this life.

The strongest people I know have a philosophy I admire. Several of them may say things like "I did not know how strong I was until I had no other choice". That is, they did not think they would be able to get through what was difficult, but they still got through it and discovered that they were stronger than they thought.

Resilience is psychological resilience, the factors that are related to maintaining mental strength and health despite stress and strain. Being resilient means that you are robust. (snl.no/resiliens)

Sometimes it works to say "just think a little more positively!". Other times, the phrase "Think positive!" the most annoying sentence imaginable. And then one might rather think that "things are awkward now, but it will not last forever!". For there is no storm that does not pass.

Definition - silver lining: when you want to emphasize the hopeful side of a situation that might seem gloomy on the surface. The common expression “every cloud has a silver lining” means that even the worst events or situations have some positive aspect. (vocabulary.com)

Maybe "the silver lining" with all the adversity you face, is that you can become more resilient and robust, to the next challenge and the next resistance you face?

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