Hey lovely Reader
Have you ever wondered how resilient you are? Or felt it being tested and thinking you should be... more, in some way?
Research tells us emotional resilience actually improves as we age - we handle things better, bounce back faster, aren't as floored by difficulty.
I'm aware of that in myself. And I've noticed something else too.
I'm not going to say much more here - it's all in the podcast, and this time it's become a Field Note in the blog too. Simply that this is a reflection on masking, depletion, the pressure to be resilient - and what that might really look like for the person we are today.
Like all these episodes, it seeks to touch into the nuance and subtleties of life. Perhaps something here resonates for you too, with whatever you are facing into in your own life.
Listen on the Henny Flynn podcast and see the long-form Field Note below.
As always, I'd love to hear what resonates with you. A challenge, a reflection, an insight, it's all welcomed and I'll always reply.
May you be safe, happy and well. May you live with ease. May the reserves in your own Self-Care Bank remain plentiful.
With love
PS: I also share there is something new coming - if you’ve been receiving the everyday compassion emails, you’ll be the first to hear more. And if you'd like to receive these weekly messages filled with love (and be amongst the first to hear what's next) simply sign-up here.
For those who love to read, here's the Field Note on this theme of resilience. It begins...
How resilient are you? How has it changed over time?
I’ve noticed my own emotional and psychological resilience has increased as I’ve aged. Things I struggled with in the past seem to affect me less, and this is played out in the research. While our physical resilience naturally declines, emotional resilience increases as we mature.
Studies like the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) followed nearly 7000 people over 17 years and found older adults in England exhibit resilience in the face of significant life changes, such as bereavement, retirement, and hospital stays. Overall, the study found that people’s mental health did not worsen after any of the events. In fact, depression improved after some of them..
So all this makes sense and perhaps we can see it in ourselves or older loved ones around us.
However, I’m also curious about the length of time I have needed - need - to fully return to my buoyant, energised Self when hard things happen.
And I think it’s summed up in noticing I’m no longer willing to cover up or mask the truth of how I'm feeling.
Does this resonate with you too?
If you’re also a peri or post-menopausal woman there may be some familiarity to this? Menopause is often accompanied by a loss of desire to compromise… but I think it might be more than this. And I certainly don’t think it’s exclusively about gender.
Hear the latest episode: Resilience Can Look Like Many Things (S20E7) or search for the Henny Flynn podcast wherever you love to listen.