05/06/2025
A nice article on meditation and its contribution to resilience….
You are likely more resilient than you thinkKIRK WARREN BROWN OPINION
The Globe and Mail (Ontario Edition)
May 06, 2025
PhD candidate at the Center for Modern Digital Health at Carnegie Mellon University
It feels as though the world is unravelling. Climate disasters intensify year after year. Democratic institutions around the globe are under siege, with rising authoritarianism and threats to civil liberties. Wars grind on, with innocent civilians caught in the crossfire. Economic instability, artificial intelligence and publichealth threats only add to the sense of a relentless, cascading crisis. It’s no wonder so many people today describe themselves as stressed, exhausted – even traumatized.
These feelings are normal responses to abnormal times. And yet, there is something many of us overlook: We are more resilient than we realize.
Consider what we have collectively endured during the coronavirus pandemic. Seemingly overnight, life was upended. Schools closed. Hospitals overflowed. Many of us lost loved ones and livelihoods. Yet amid the grief and uncertainty, people adapted in remarkable ways. Families held birthday parties via Zoom. Neighbours delivered groceries to the elderly and immunocompromised. Medical workers took on back-to-back shifts for weeks on end, donning layers of protective equipment in punishing conditions. Scientists around the world collaborated at extraordinary speed to develop effective vaccines in less than a year – a process that usually takes a decade.
Even in isolation, people found ways to connect and contribute. Musicians performed on balconies in Italy. Volunteers across the United States sewed millions of masks when supplies ran low. Health care workers in China danced in their protective suits to keep spirits up. And after all of this, surveys show that the majority of people emerged from the pandemic not broken, but intact. Many reported a renewed sense of purpose or an appreciation for what truly matters in their lives.
This was not a fluke. Psychological research has consistently shown that most people who experience adverse or even traumatic events recover. Some even emerge stronger. George Bonanno, a professor of clinical psychology at Columbia University and a leading expert on resilience, has spent decades studying how people respond to extreme stress. His findings? The most common response to potentially traumatic events is not post-traumatic stress disorder, but resilience. As Prof. Bonanno writes in The End of Trauma: “We are not fragile. We are not brittle. We are not easily broken. In fact, resilience is the most common outcome after trauma.”
Prof. Bonanno’s research has shown that even after events like the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the vast majority of New Yorkers did not develop long-term mental-health problems. Similarly, after natural disasters, mass shootings and personal losses, most people return to their baseline levels of functionality within months.
Resilience isn’t some rare trait possessed by a lucky few. It’s an ordinary magic – a set of behaviours, thoughts and actions that we can cultivate.
Still, resilience doesn’t mean simply “toughing it out.” Nor does it mean that people don’t suffer. Rather, it’s the ability to bend without breaking –and it’s something we can nurture. So how can we become more resilient?
Connection matters. Social support is one of the strongest predictors of resilience. Staying connected – whether to family, friends, neighbours or community groups – buffers us against stress. Reaching out to others, offering help or simply sharing your feelings can make an enormous difference.
Mindset matters. Resilient people tend to maintain a sense of hope, even in the darkest times. They focus on what they can control, rather than being paralyzed by what they can’t. Practicing gratitude, even for small things can shift our focus away from fear and toward possibility.
Purpose matters. People who find it in their experiences, even painful ones, are often better able to recover. Viktor Frankl, the psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor, was fond of paraphrasing Friedrich Nietzsche: “Those who have a ‘why’ to live for can bear with almost any ‘how.’ ” Whether it’s caring for others, working toward a cause, or finding personal growth, purpose fuels resilience.
Psychological self-care matters. Research shows that meditation, for example, trains our neural pathways for calm and emotional balance; it quiets the brain’s alarm system, so we become less easily rattled by stress.
And finally, taking care of your body matters. Sleep, nutrition and exercise are now part of our conversations about mental health. In fact, they are foundational. You can’t be emotionally resilient if you’re physically depleted.
The world may feel unsteady, but humanity has faced upheaval before and endured. During the Blitz of the Second World War, many feared that relentless bombing would break the morale of British civilians. Instead, many Londoners adapted to life underground, held concerts in subway tunnels and carried on.
Even facing an uncertain future, our capacity to adapt, recover and even thrive in the face of adversity endures. We’re often more resilient than we think.
