“The ability to bounce back and withstand pressure…” this was the response from Grade 9 and 10 students when guest speaker, Dr. Ron Resurreccion, asked them to define resilience. Current President of the Psychological Association of the Philippines and Associate Dean of De La Salle University (College of Liberal Arts), Dr. Resurreccion engaged Woodrose girls in his talk that focused on “Ways to Build Resilience.”
He encouraged them to build resilience through self-care, which in turn improves self-esteem and self-efficacy that will result to having good mental health. He spoke about the importance of maintaining good relationships and living with purpose. He also said that you can develop optimism and find joy by looking forward to something exciting (anticipate), being in the moment (savor), and looking back at happy times (reminisce).
Dr. Resurreccion recommended to the girls the Eight Ways to Be Happy by Sonya Lyubomirsky that we can all follow:
- Count your blessings
- Practice random acts of kindness
- Savor life’s joys (enjoy simple things)
- Thank a mentor
- Learn to forgive (to trust again)
- Invest time and energy in friends and family (not social media)
- Take care of your body
- Develop strategies for coping with stress and hardships
Every day we are faced with challenging circumstances. We must remember that these can be overcome and in fact they can even make us stronger. Keep in mind that “Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass. It’s about learning to dance in the rain.”