Resilience For Dummies

Title Page
Copyright Page
Table of Contents
Introduction
	About This Book
	Foolish Assumptions
	Icons Used in This Book
	Beyond the Book
	Where to Go from Here
Part 1 Getting Started with Resilience
	Chapter 1 Embarking on the Journey to Resilience
		Resilience Is for Everyone
		What Determines Resilience?
			Your genes
			Childhood development
			Culture
			Psychological outlook
			Coping habits
			Social support
			Humor
			Spirituality
		What Resilience Is Not
			The victim mindset
			Learned helplessness
			Hopelessness
		Breaking the Victim Cycle
		Cultivating the Six Pillars of Resilience
			Developing physical hardiness
			Achieving emotional equilibrium
			Boosting mental clarity and toughness
			Enriching spiritual connection
			Establishing healthy relationships
			Belonging to a community and becoming a leader
	Chapter 2 The Basis of Resilience: Harmony Versus Stress
		Without Stress, You Would Be Dead
		The Perpetual Quest for Harmony
		Examining the Stress Response Feedback Loop
			Fight-or-flight
			The feedback loop
		Living in Disharmony: The Real Stress
		Expecting a Good Outcome Is the Key
		Believing in Possible
		Coping to Adapt, or Not
			Maladaptive coping
			Adaptive coping
		Harmonizing Stress and Becoming Resilient
			Quieting the stress response
			Being open to learn and understand
			Building and restoring
	Chapter 3 The First Pillar: Physical Vitality and Flexibility
		What Fitness Has to Do with Resilience
		What Good Is Success If You’re Sick or Dead?
		Taking Survival of the Fittest for What It’s Worth
		Using It or Losing It
		Fueling Your Immune System
		Assembling the Components for Physical Hardiness
			Sleeping restfully
			Eating a nutrient-rich diet
			Engaging in physical activity
			Relaxing and meditating
			Aligning with nature
	Chapter 4 The Second Pillar: Developing Mental Toughness and Clarity
		What Kind of Mindset Do Resilient People Have?
		Fixed Versus Growth Mindsets When It Comes to Resilience
		Developing Mental Toughness
			Getting in control
			Making a commitment
			Embracing challenges
			Being confident
		Accessing Mental Clarity
	Chapter 5 The Third Pillar: Achieving Emotional Equilibrium
		Emotions Exist for a Very Good Reason
		How Emotions Influence Perception and Coping
		Evaluating Your Feelings
		Choosing to Manage Your Emotions
		Calming Your Emotions By Calming the Stress Response
		Shifting to Positive Detachment and Reappraisal
		Enhancing Your Self-Awareness and Willingness to Grow
		Always Choosing Love
	Chapter 6 The Fourth Pillar: Cultivating Spirituality
		What Is Spirituality Beyond Religion?
		Why Spirituality Supports Resilience
		Recognizing the Power of Awe
		Searching for Purpose
		Accepting the Mystery and Process of Life
		Becoming Peaceful through Humility
		Expressing Loving Kindness
		Finding Stillness
		Feeling Lucky
		Showing Compassion
	Chapter 7 The Fifth Pillar: Striving for Quality Relationships
		Enjoying the Journey, Even When It Hurts
		Recognizing That It All Starts with a Relationship with Yourself
		Choosing to Commit
		Building Trust
		Showing Respect
		Establishing Healthy Boundaries
		Improving Conscious Communication
		Expressing Empathy
		Giving and Receiving
	Chapter 8 The Sixth Pillar: Belonging to a Community or Team
		Recognizing How Community Fosters Individual Resilience
		Becoming Stronger and Better Together
		Stepping into Leadership
		Sharing Values
		Showing Respect
		Building Trust
		Being Able to Improvise
		Finding Motivation
		Having Fun
Part 2 Laying the Foundation
	Chapter 9 The Practice of Listening: Quieting and Sharpening Your Senses
		Deciding to Tune In to the Senses
		Engaging in the Art of Listening
		Being Aware of Stress Signals
		Establishing Calm
			The quieting breath
			Experimenting with your breath
			Practicing mindfulness as a calming tool
		Listening to Your Body
			Scanning the body
			Mindfully tuning into empathy
		Listening with Compassion
			Developing self-compassion
			Practicing compassion meditation
	Chapter 10 The Practice of Gaining Deeper Insight
		What Is Insight?
		Seeking Truth: The Journey to Insight
		Quieting the Mind
		Tapping into Intuition
			Clearing the static
			Mindfully tuning in
		Enlivening Curiosity
			Ask questions
			Switch up the questions and give them direction
			Relax into not knowing
			Improve reception by being more receptive
		Digging In to Emotions
		Analyzing Insights to Make Decisions
			Articulate the problem
			Clarify objectives
			Do some research
			Activate your whole brain
			Take a break
			Make connections
		Gaining Wisdom to Ask More Questions
	Chapter 11 The Practice of Shifting Your Mindset
		Co-Creating Your Life
		Becoming Aware of Limiting Beliefs
		Watching Your Words
			“I can’t”
			“Always” and “never”
			“Should”
			“I can do that, but____”
			“This is who I am”
		Introducing Stories
			Scenario 1: Feeling insulted vs. eager to learn
			Scenario 2: Feeling shame vs. accountable
			Awareness exercise: Using emotions to tell a story
		Challenging Assumptions
		Toughening Up Mentally
		Milking Meaning from Hardship
			Step 1: Find lessons and inspiration
			Step 2: Reappraise your story
			Step 3: Count your blessings
			Step 4: Ask for help
			Step 5: Remember victories
			Step 6: Take care
			Step 7: Connect with love and awe
		Changing Attitude to Optimism
			Step 1: Practice mindfulness
			Step 2: Change your words
			Step 3: Deepen your connection with a force larger than yourself
			Step 4: Shift your attitude to gratitude
			Step 5: Be your own coach
			Step 6: Enjoy the adventure
Part 3 Evaluating and Strengthening Relationships
	Chapter 12 Improving Your Relationship with Yourself
		Connecting Resilience with Self-Worth
		Believing in Your Worth
		Noting Self-Criticism
		Evaluating Your Self-Value
		Starting to Take Action
			Practicing self-awareness
			Making a conscious choice
			Celebrating yourself
			Keeping an inventory
			Accepting and being your unique self
			Holding on to your vision
			Being loving toward yourself
		Taking Care of YOU
			Nourish yourself with nutrient-rich food
			Exercise and stay active
			Connect with support
			Quiet your mind
			Heal through your negative emotions
			Have fun!
			Appreciate all that you have and all that you are
			It’s okay to rest
		Allowing Love In
	Chapter 13 Creating Quality Relationships
		What Constitutes a Quality Relationship?
		Evaluating Your Relationships
			Making a list
			Determining your level of commitment
			Examining respect and healthy boundaries
			Assessing trust and reliance
			Evaluating communication and empathy
			Taking a good look at reciprocity
		Building Lasting Social Bonds
			Communicating with presence and curiosity
			Building trust and reliance
			Supporting and being supported
			Accepting and acknowledging
			Settling differences
			Investing time in and time out
		Strengthening Bonds by Sharing
			Sharing news and gratitude
			Sharing goals and dreams
			Sharing worries and fears
			Sharing adventures
			Sharing the mundane
			Sharing physical contact
			Sharing hearts
	Chapter 14 Building a Resilient Community
		Determining Who Your People Are
		Evaluating Your Communities
			Making a list
			Sharing values
			Committing to shared goals
			Combining resources
			Contributing and cooperating equally
			Communicating effectively
			Displaying sensitivity and empathy
			Encouraging and celebrating
			Exemplifying fairness and inclusivity
			Having trusted leaders
		Creating the Foundation for Your Community
			Getting everyone to buy in on the goals
			Aligning core values
			Putting the right people in the right roles
			Improving communication
			Establishing guidelines for fairness and inclusivity
	Chapter 15 Becoming a Resilient Leader
		The Making of a Resilient Leader
		What Is Your Style of Leadership?
			Questions regarding leadership to ask yourself
			Appraising your sphere of influence
			Evaluating your resilience as a leader
		Embracing Challenges and Change
			Becoming comfortable being uncomfortable
			Facing the fear of doing something risky
			Find your way home after getting lost
			Starting with a clean slate
			Heading the other way
			Going with the flow
		Creating Your Vision
			Clearing and opening the mind
			Visualizing the future
			Writing out the story of success
			Defining goals and objectives
			Creating the strategic plan
			Communicating the vision
		Being a Trusted Leader
		Taking Care and Being Self-Aware
			The 5-minute morning meditation
			Practicing gratitude
Part 4 Putting Resilience into Action
	Chapter 16 Fueling the Mind and Body
		Making Fitness a Priority
			Taking care of your body’s whispers before it screams
			Evaluating your vitality
		Improving Your Metabolism
			Understanding metabolic flexibility
			Taking charge of your metabolism
			Cutting down on sugar
			Boosting your metabolism with antioxidants
			Trying intermittent fasting
			Keeping the microbiome happy
			Challenging your body with a variety of physical exercises
		Getting Functional with Your Movement
			Integrating five key functional movements
			Playing isn’t just for kids
		Taking Time Out for Recovery
			Losing guilt and embracing love
			Quieting the mind
			Getting restful, quality sleep
	Chapter 17 Organizing Your Environment
		Benefitting from Being More Organized
		Taking Stock of the Obstacles to Organization
		Freeing Up
			Freeing up your mind
			Managing your time
		Decluttering Your Physical Space
		Harmonizing Your Environment
			Clearing and creating an open space
			Placing furniture or key items facing the door
			Letting the light in
			Shutting the lid where water drains
			Bringing in green
			Balancing with nature’s elements
	Chapter 18 Resilience in Action at Work
		Fostering Optimism
			Seeing challenges as opportunities
			Seeing value everywhere and in everyone
			Embracing failure and setbacks
		Choosing Balance
			Bringing meditation into your work life
			Getting unplugged
			Establishing an organized approach to managing tasks
			Getting a life
		Strengthening Networks of Support
	Chapter 19 Resilience in the Family
		Developing the Core Framework
			Sharing beliefs
			Being organized
			Effectively communicating
		Setting an Example
		Adopting Shared Beliefs
			Enhancing optimism
			Finding meaning together
			Making spirituality a family affair
		Establishing Organization and Structure
			Strengthening connectedness
			Creating structure with flexibility
			Forming networks of support
		Enhancing Communication
			Being clear and direct
			Regulating and expressing emotions
			Solving problems together
Part 5 The Part of Tens
	Chapter 20 Ten Tips to Help Your Kids Cope with Stress and Change
		Taking a Pause and Calming the Worry
		Being a Role Model
		Maintaining Open Channels of Communication
		Teaching Others How to Self-Calm
		Facing Fears Together
		Getting Organized
		Unplugging and Descheduling
		Learning to Embrace Change
		Solving Problems Together
		Finding Support
	Chapter 21 Ten Tips for Using Nature to Become Resilient
		Using Green for Therapy
		Enhancing Spirituality
		Clearing Your Head
		Exercising Green
		Practicing Mindfulness
		Cultivating a Garden
		Eating with the Seasons
		Bringing Nature into Your Home
		Using Nature to Relax and Play
		Enjoying a Getaway
Index
EULA