Getting back on the horse/bike…

I fell off my bike this week, ouch! I wish I had a photo – imagine the scene, cyclist faceplanted into dried leaves and brambles on the side of a narrow country lane, bike on top! It was funny but it hurt and I’ve spent the week doing some self-care. Or trying to…

I’d go for a swim but the bruises would raise too many eyebrows, yoga has been out of the question because I’m stiff and sore so many poses would be impossible. I’ve limped around our local lake and had coffees with a few friends, I’ve invested time in French lessons and read around aspects of coaching I’ve been promising myself that I’d look into further. It’s actually not been a bad week.

The next step is to get back on the bike…it’s easily said and I know I’ll be fine because I have high levels of resilience, however, not everyone is so lucky.

According to Dr. Eva Selhub – former Harvard Medical School instructor and director of the Benson Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine – the six pillars of resilience are: physical vitality, emotional equilibrium, mental toughness and clarity, spiritual purpose, healthy personal relationships, and being an inspiring leader and part of a wider community or team.

Each of these elements is important to us, they provide a strong foundation from which we can deal with life’s blows and they help us to develop the strength we need for growth in our personal and professional lives. Today, I need to look at all six elements, summon up my courage and JFDI*.

*as someone once said to me, i.e. just do it.

When I’m the right way up on the bike.