Writing this post hasn’t been easy for a few reasons. First, I’ve been sick for the past two weeks, battling constant coughing and headaches, which made it hard to get anything done. I can’t even remember the last time I was ill for this long - it feels like I’ve forgotten what a normal routine is like.
Second, tomorrow marks the Jewish New Year, typically a time that represents new beginnings and festivities. But this year, considering the ongoing situation in Israel, that sense of renewal feels distant.
And lastly, in a week, it will be the one-year mark since the tragic events of October 7th, a day that changed everything and hasn’t fully ended as 101 hostages are still being held captive and tens of thousands are still evacuated from their homes.
As I reflected on all of this, I realized that talking about new beginnings and goal-setting doesn’t feel right, at least not for me at this moment. What does resonate though, is the theme that ties it all together: Resilience.
Suffering is an inevitable part of the human experience. Some may be luckier and face less of it, but it touches us all in one way or another. That's why resilience is so crucial.
The Jewish people have a long history of enduring adversity. Still, we've consistently turned challenges into opportunities for post-traumatic growth (PTG). This idea of growth takes us beyond resilience and into what Nassim Nicholas Taleb, an essayist and mathematician, calls "Antifragility." Unlike resilience, which is about bouncing back, antifragility is about becoming stronger through stress and hardship. It's not just surviving adversity but using it to grow.
I certainly need this reminder from time to time, do you?
Whether you're dealing with job loss, a career setback, an illness, financial pressures, family issues, or any other challenge, even in the toughest moments, we have the ability to grow and thrive.
One way to nurture resilience and experience personal growth is by practicing Self-Care, which is essential for well-being. Self-care involves deliberate actions to support our physical, emotional, and mental health.
In his book "Happier," Dr. Tal Ben Shahar, a world-leading expert in Positive Psychology, introduces the term "Boosters of Happiness," or MVIs - Minimum Viable Interventions.
These are short activities, lasting from a few minutes to a few hours, that give us a sense of purpose and joy while recharging our energy. They have both immediate and lasting benefits for our mental health, offering a sustainable way to improve our well-being.
Self-care will not only benefit you but also all the people around you, your family, your colleagues, and your friends, as you will show up to the world as a better version of yourself.
If you find yourself struggling to answer, you're not alone. Many of us are so caught up in daily life that we forget what makes us feel good. But it's never too late to rediscover those small joys and carve out time for them.
Another simple (yet not easy) way to build resilience is by practicing and consciously creating positive emotions like joy, pride, and gratitude. These positive emotions can buffer us against the negative and gradually increase our resilience. Fostering these emotions can be done by finding things you’re grateful for or small wins you made, even when you’re down and things look dark. It actually works.
So, if I were to wish something for myself and you, it would be this:
To commit to prioritizing self-care. Let's remember that while challenging times are inevitable, they don't last forever, and they offer us a valuable chance to grow stronger and become antifragile.
Shana Tove! שנה טובה
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