Book 2 Post 2

I’m reading Dr. Rick Hanson’s “Resilient: How to Grow an Unshakable Core of Calm, Strength, and Happiness.” I chose it to learn about building resilience and inner peace. Given the chaos in the world these days, I want to be able to rely on myself over external factors. I hoped to learn practical exercises to incorporate into my daily routine when life overwhelms me. 

Although I didn’t finish the book, I enjoyed it more than expected. Life “got busy,” and I used that as an excuse to not start the book for a long time, but now I regret not starting earlier. After all, the book is aimed at reducing stress. I expected the author to get straight into advice and for the wording to come across as very technical. However, the author uses many anecdotes and analogies to convey his message, which I found much easier to digest. For example, he mentions that “surgeons have great power over their patients, so they have a great duty to be careful when they operate on them” (Hanson 19). He then relates this to the reader, arguing that if we also saw ourselves as someone we must care for, we would treat ourselves less harshly. Although this was early on in the book, I found it to be a powerful analogy. It reminded me to treat myself more compassionately and be less critical. USC has plenty of talented people, and it’s easy to start comparing yourself to others. Everyone grows at different paces, and it's important to praise yourself for your accomplishments rather than beating yourself down for your “failures.”

What I like about this book is that each chapter is based on a unique strength, such as grit, gratitude, calm, etc. You can skip around chapters based on which strength you want to focus on. My first takeaway is to BE KIND TO YOURSELF. It may sound obvious, but we often underestimate how harshly we talk to ourselves. It’s always “what I can do better” versus “what I appreciate about myself.” The book establishes early on that treating yourself like how you would treat your best friend is good for building inner confidence and resilience and for the people around you. 

The second takeaway is to not suppress your negative thoughts but to see them as clouds in the sky that will eventually pass. Mindfulness isn’t about solely focusing on the good but " observing the ongoing stream of consciousness.” We can practice mindfulness in our daily lives by using the “do not disturb” feature to reduce texts and calls that interrupt us. 

My third takeaway is to pay attention to your body and what it’s trying to tell you. When our stress turns into a physical reaction, such as an anxiety attack, we should understand the root cause. Our bodies are designed to protect us, and a bodily reaction is often a result of our fight or flight response. While it is essential to recognize fear, we shouldn’t let it consume us. Being consumed by fear doesn’t make us any safer, and it’s important to identify rational threats.