It doesn’t matter who you are, you will encounter difficulties that will require great resilience to overcome.
As Jeff Karp Ph.D. says in his article on resilience in Psychology Today:
“Resilience isn’t about avoiding struggle. It’s about how we struggle.”
He suggests approaching difficulties with an ‘octopus mindset’. The octopus is a “...master of shape-shifting, adapting to its ever-changing environment with grace and resilience. It faces daily challenges with ingenuity, adaptability, and persistence. This ability to transform challenges into opportunities is the essence of the octopus mindset.”
But to really feel resilient, Karp suggests we need to connect with other people, rather than becoming isolated with our difficulties. As he says, “Our brains are wired to regulate stress through connection. When we engage with others, talk, laugh, or even just feel seen, our bodies release oxytocin, serotonin, and dopamine. These aren’t just “feel-good” chemicals. They counteract cortisol, reducing stress and improving mental clarity.”
After attending a week long retreat, Matthew Green wrote a blog about his experience of going on a healing journey with 200 other people. He says “Even as I write these words, I feel in awe of what it felt like to encounter the fundamental truth of our connectedness as humans. That capacity to weave and resonate together can seem so remote in daily life — or when watching the news. But when we take a few days to slow down and tune in, it’s clear that supporting each other to heal isn’t just a potential we carry — it’s our collective birthright.” Matthew Green (Blog - How Collective Healing Works, 2022)
This is why we run The Switch live course in groups of 8 people, as being part of a supportive group environment can provide inspiration and a sense of connection and community that is an important part of peoples healing journey. So if you're thinking about attending The Switch course but feel concerned about being in a group setting, recognise and embrace this aspect as an important part of your journey to recovery.
The Switch gives you a range of techniques to use on yourself so that you can deal with whatever life events get thrown your way. There are calming techniques, grounding techniques, techniques to change current thoughts, The Belief Switch, and the Deep Switch for shifting deeply held trauma from the past. Using all these things can greatly enhance resilience.
Just this week, a client had a very unexpected and stressful event happen in her life and she said "I have been handling the situation like a champion/calmly thanks to The Switch".
Could your life use more resilience? Come and join us at The Switch!
