Book 2: Post #2
Book 2: Post #2
Resilient: How to Grow an Unshakable Core
by Dr. Rick Hanson
My second book, Resilient: How to Grow an Unshakable Core by Dr. Rick Hanson is a thought-provoking and practical guide to developing inner strength and resilience in the face of life's challenges. Drawing from scientific research and ancient wisdom traditions, the book depicted valuable insights and strategies for cultivating a resilient mindset. What I acknowledged the most from this book is the importance of actively cultivating positive experiences and emotions to counterbalance the brain's natural negativity bias. By actively integrating these principles into our daily lives, Dr. Hanson illustrates the possibilities of fostering a resilient mindset that enables us to bounce back from adversity and thrive in the face of difficulties.
One of my biggest takeaways was the significance of taking in positive experiences and allowing them to sink into our core being. Dr. Hanson highlights the concept of "taking in the good" by actively savoring and internalizing positive moments, thereby rewiring the brain to focus more on the positive. An example that deeply resonated with me is the idea that by deliberately savoring a moment of joy, such as a beautiful sunset or a heartwarming interaction, we can create lasting positive imprints in our neural circuitry. This practice helps to build emotional resilience and counteract the brain's tendency to dwell on negative experiences. As a senior in college oftentimes it is so easy for me to focus heavily on the downsides of what it means to leave USC in a few short months. However, this portion of the book exemplified the ways in which seeing the positives and future possibilities is a much healthier mindset for the brain.
Another valuable aspect of the book is Dr. Hanson's exploration of the power of mindfulness and self-compassion. He encourages people to develop a mindful awareness of their thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations, and to approach them with kindness and understanding. By cultivating self-compassion, we can soften self-criticism and develop a more resilient attitude towards ourselves and others. For instance, when faced with a setback or failure, instead of harshly judging ourselves, we can practice self-compassion by acknowledging our humanity, offering ourselves support and encouragement, and learning from the experience to grow stronger. This section was especially interesting to read as I had never really thought about “resilience” in the scope of self-compassion. His insights encouraged me to view resilience in a more nuanced way that isn’t solely based on self-criticism and being “tough.”
Hi Eari,
ReplyDeleteIt was great reading your blog post. I think deliberately enjoying a moment like a beautiful sunset or a heartwarming interaction on a specific day is really important for day to day happiness. Learning that it makes lasting imprints on our neural circuitry is very interesting to hear as well. Overall great post and I hope you find success in your post college endeavors.
Hi Eari,
ReplyDeleteI really like how you emphasizes how important positive experiences are and how you need to also include emotions to counterbalance the brains natural negativity bias. By practices mindfulness and self compassion Hanson provides a practical roadmap for building resilience. As a senior in college facing these transition the books guidance offers an invaluable perspective on navigating challenges of strength. Overall great post!
Hi Eari, I really liked reading your post! In my positive psychology class at USC we've also been learning the importance of savoring. We learned that our brain naturally wants to cling onto negative experiences and emotions more, but through practice we can deter this from happening. I completely agree that it's a perfect tool to use while preparing for graduation and leaving life at USC! Great post!
ReplyDeleteHi Eari! I really enjoyed reading your post and your takeaway regarding taking the time to appreciate and enjoy the positive experiences in our daily lives to counter our brain’s natural negativity bias (which I also never knew was a bias we had). As someone who is also leaving USC in just a few weeks/months, I really appreciate the reminder to focus on the positives and potential the future for the sake of my own mental health. I also really liked how you explained that self compassion can be used to counter self criticism and develop resilience instead.
ReplyDeleteHi Eari,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your post. I also read the same book and took away a similar message about trying not to focus too much energy on our negative thoughts. Reminding myself to focus on the positives rather than the negatives is a difficult thing to do, but I think a valuable lifelong lesson. While I am not just a senior yet, I can imagine that I will feel the same way as you when transitioning out of college. I think this book was really insightful and had lessons to carry on everyday.
Hi Eari, thank you for your post! The word resilience is quite interesting to me, and I might need a bit more time to fully understand what the author means. Regardless, I really enjoyed learning the exercise of putting positive experience into our core beings. Whatever perspective we have, positive or negative, will define the narrative and story of our life. I definitely want to practice focusing on the positive experiences in my life, because I used to be quite pessimistic and cynical as a child, and I’ve been knowingly trying to become a more optimistic person.
ReplyDeleteHi Eari, thank you for sharing your takeaways for this book! I didn't read it, but I do think I need to soon. Recently I've been finding it a bit hard to stay productive and enjoying the work I do knowing that I'm about to graduate. However, with my college career coming to a close soon I do want to implement savoring these positive moments to finish it off strong!
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