Resilience

"In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer." – Albert Camus

Hey everyone! It’s me again, AJ. I wanted to take to the blog and do a quick check-in with everyone. It’s been a couple of weeks now, and the growing pains of our new normal might be starting to show. For me, there was a small burst of energy that came with my new lifestyle, I was exploring new ways to spend my time and catching up with people I hadn’t spoken to in a long time. As the days turned to weeks though, I felt that energy start to fade. The remote work, the stress of the pandemic, the loss of structure, the isolation from a lot of close friends, these all started weighing on me. I noticed this week I’d been feeling more worn out. Perhaps you’ve noticed a similar change within yourselves.

That weariness is normal. Things are difficult now, and at times our resilience is tested. Whether it’s something I mentioned or something totally different, we may find ourselves asking, “How do I keep up with everything?”   

If you’re noticing thoughts like that, then I want to encourage you to practice some self-care. Deliberately make time for meaningful and fun activities. It takes a lot of internal resources to manage ourselves, and learning how to replenish those internal resources through enjoyable activities is so important.  

Sleep, proper nutrition and regular exercise gives us more internal resources to manage stress and cope better. So, let’s take a minute and reflect on the thought, “How have I been doing with this?” Maybe you could benefit from setting up a routine like talking to a friend and brushing your teeth (as one example) before bed. Maybe you could plan out more regular mealtimes to make sure you’re eating healthily. Maybe you could plan a zoom home workout with some friends to up your activity. Learning to establish routines like this will help.   

At the end of the day, so much is being asked of us in the midst of a moment that will reverberate throughout history. It’s tough, and to be resilient and continue our roles as learners will, at times, require a step back. Let’s take a look at ourselves so we can make sure we’re ok and learn to do something about it if we’re not.

By AJ Qureshi - AJ is a graduate student in the Counseling Psychology program and a graduate assistant in the Division of Student Affairs at the University of Southern Mississippi