Have you ever experienced something that just knocked you off your feet? An event that threatened to undo you? What was it that kept you going? One of the most priceless gifts we can carry with us is the gift of resilience.

Wellness Coaching with Rachel

If you need help discovering your core values or if you just feel stuck in life, I would love to work with you! Start by filling out the Free Discovery Session form or Learn more here.

Resilience is the ability to bounce back. It’s getting knocked down, and then getting up again stronger. It’s the skill of looking for what you learned and not what you lacked or how you failed. It’s more about discovering the lessons through the difficulties. Instead of staying stuck in that moment, repeating the same cycle over and over again, we become problem-solvers and we ask ourselves questions like: What lesson do I need to learn from this? What steps do I need to take to move toward recovery?

Ultimately, resilience comes from turning to Jesus and cultivating our union with him. Jesus is the glue when things fall apart around us. He holds us together. When our life stretches out of shape, the strength of our union with him will give us the ability to spring back.

Today, I want to share with you four ways to grow resilience by tending your relationship with Jesus.

So, my brain works in acronyms. It helps me remember what I need to remember. So, I’m going to break this down for you by using an acronym:

ARCH

Action - When we are faced with a hard experience, it can leave us feeling unsure of where to begin. What do you need to do to bounce back? I would say first and foremost it would be simply, running to Jesus. Tending our union with him is the foundation for resilience to grow in our lives. Are there any faulty beliefs involved? What truths do you need to fight those faulty beliefs with? How do you need Jesus to love you in this moment?

This step seems to be an obvious one, but because we are both spiritual AND physical, there may be more action that needs to take place on your part. Maybe you need to start moving your body. Exercise releases those happy hormones and relieves the stress brought on by traumatic events. Are there unhealthy habits you need to abandon that are keeping you from bouncing back? Paying attention to our spiritual AND physical lives improves our ability to be resilient.

No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. - Philippians 3:13-14

Relax - Raise awareness about what you are feeling. What emotions have risen to the surface of your heart? Deep breathing plays a huge part in the healing process. Turning those breaths into prayers can transform this act. Which brings up another helpful skill: meditation. Meditating and ruminating on truth strengthens our soul and actually does something to our brain waves. Just like we go to the gym to build stronger muscles, meditation is like a little gym for our minds. Things heal in our brain when we meditate. Using Scripture creates resilience that goes past the physical to the mental and spiritual.

So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. - Romans 8:6

Core Values - Getting to know more about how God has created you will help you grow resilience in your life. What are your strengths? What makes you feel energized? Speaking truth about WHO you are in Christ tears down the lies the enemy uses to keep you stuck. Think about how you are speaking to yourself. What is your inner monologue? This, on repeat, can hinder our ability to bounce back.

A life coach can help you discover what your core values are if you feel unsure of where to begin. I offer a test that helps determine and discover how you are wired and ways you process hard things in life. Learn more about Wellness Coaching with Rachel by visiting my website and filling out the Free Discovery Session to get you started. Reaching out for help is another way we grow in resilience.

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. - Ephesians 2:10

Hope - I want to end on hope. There is hope. In Christ we have a hope that transcends anything this world can throw at us. Focusing on hope, not just for this moment, but our future hope provides a resilience all in itself. One very practical way to begin your day with hope is to do one thing first thing in the morning that you love. It doesn’t have to be complicated, just meaningful to you. Something that you look forward to. We all need to be reminded of the hope we possess not only in this life, but in the one to come.

So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary. - Hebrews 6:18-19

Bouncing Back

Resilience is something you can learn. It starts with cultivating and tending your union with Jesus and moves out to your physical realm. When a stressful event has happened to us, it takes time to bounce back. But putting these steps into practice can create an ARCH from our pain to progress. We learn from our trials and this grows us and strengthens us in ways that times of ease could never do.

So, start today. Whether you need to reach out and enlist the help of a life coach or you just need to process your emotions with Jesus, start your path to recovery now. Make every day have meaning. Do something this morning that gives you a sense of success and purpose. Turn over the soil of your heart. Give Jesus an opportunity to meet you there, to sow seeds that will produce future growth. Your resilience rests in the hands of your Resurrected Savior.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rachelsholistichealth.substack.com