soaking up nature
Resiliency = Bounce back factor
More definitions of resiliency include: adaptability to changing conditions, flexibility, quickness of recovery to difficulty, elasticity
Resiliency is also a term used in Farming that measures the earth’s ability to produce under harsh conditions.
What creates good resiliency?
I believe our resiliency as people is comparable to our soil’s ability to produce fruit.
We need the same things as good soil does:
Water, food, sunlight, oxygen – The quality of each contributes to the richness of the soil.
Picnics in nature, preferably by a river, is a pretty pure way to soak up all of it!
Beyond these obvious ones I believe we need a strong community, good inflow and outflow, and faith in something.
For me it comes down to this: Keep it as real and pure as you can.
= NO Chemicals. NO Pharmaceuticals.
They compromise and eventually kill the soil. At the very least they decrease the quality and resiliency.
They do the same in us.
Here’s 6 Herbs that help cleanse chemicals out of our bodies:
Dandelion Root – Blood and whole system cleanser
Red Clover – Blood cleanser
Milk Thistle – Liver Cleanser
Burdock Root and Yellow Dock Root – Blood and liver cleansers
Chlorophyll – Blood and liver cleanser, Thyroid support
Beyond keeping our bodies healthy and moving, the environment we live in contributes to our resiliency. How healthy is your environment and the community you are a part of?
1. Community, bio-diversity – working together- The chickens eat my garden scraps, they in turn fertilize my garden and keep bugs at bay, the worms build the soil, the garden feeds us and we feed the garden. I love the cycle of life observed from the garden. Everything has a part to play in supporting that community.
picking chamomile in the garden
Having supportive people around us really contributes to the ability to bounce back quickly.
Good council, loving support, help with resources, people to talk with, hugs, the list goes on. The stronger our community, the easier it is to recover from whatever challenges we face.
Community can be family, friends, neighbors, groups we belong to, church, town. Most often it is a combination. The more diverse our community is the more resources may be available. The deeper our connections, the more reliable help may be.
I love how communities come together when a natural disaster strikes. Having community strengthens resiliency.
2. Good inflow and outflow-taking in and letting go. Keep moving forward.
A body of water that doesn’t have an inflow and an outflow is stagnant. All systems in the universe work this way. If we don’t have a good inflow and outflow, our system backs up and weakens.
Having a clean environment, inside us and around us, helps us be ready as situations arise that require us to adapt.
Keep moving, Get outside, etc.
3. Have a solid foundation
When everything is shaken around us, a solid foundation is what keeps us from sinking in the “quicksand” of life. This is a biblical principle.
Jesus told us that following Him and His commandments, is like building on the solid rock, and we will remain standing when the storms come. Matthew 7;24-28
A belief in God and a faith and hope (mine is in Jesus) help guide our actions. Faith builds resiliency naturally. We have something beyond ourselves to rely on.
Observation was made that people that had a Faith or religion, in general did much better dealing with the changes Covid brought. Part of this may have been because of having a community too.
I think this verse sums up the definition of resiliency well:
“For he (a man of God) shall be as a tree planted by the waters, that spreads out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.” Jeremiah 17;8
These are just some thoughts on the subject, not a comprehensive list. There are many ways to increase our adaptability to change: Any way we are learning new things, stretching ourselves, growing, exercising, traveling, good conversations, speaking truth and hope….
I would love to hear your thoughts too!