In a conversation this morning, like I know many are having, the question of staying hopeful amidst the pain and suffering so many are experiencing in this pandemic came up. It made me think of author Pauline Boss and her book Loss, Trauma and Resilience: Therapeutic Work with Ambiguous Loss. When first introduced to this book many years ago, I was intrigued with the term "ambiguous loss" and found that several events in my life fit Boss' statement that those who suffer losses without finality bear a particular burden. I picked up the book today to revisit a few well- tabbed pages, and sure enough, found "strength by connecting" reiterated in those pages. How do we remain hopeful? Boss states ..."we find resiliency by redefining mastery, normalizing ambivalence, reconstructing identity, revising attachment, and discovering a new hope." Revising attachment-- adjusting how we connect within social distancing-- jumped out at me.
So I decided to include our calendar of daily resilience-building activities from our 2019 "October is Resilience Month". I have left it as used just 5 short months ago, when the word pandemic had no meaning for me. Perhaps focusing on an activity a day will help me stay hopeful, and I hope you too, as we forge ahead and bear witness to our world's situation. (A Spanish language version is available upon request).
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