KADENA AIR BASE, Japan -- Spiritual resilience is defined as the ability to sustain an individual’s sense of self and purpose through a set of beliefs, principles or values. While it has definitely helped over the years, my personal faith has never been the foundation of my resiliency.
I recently attended a singles spiritual resiliency retreat hosted by the Kadena Chapel. Over the course of the trip a common occurrence was small group discussions. Several of my fellow attendees proved to be much better than me at putting to words several concepts I’ve always had in the back of my head.
The one that left the biggest impression on me was the idea of identifying and embraces what “grounds” you.
What “grounds” me is my parents.
After leaving home and wandering out into the world, I went to college for several years before enlisting in the Air Force. The more people I met throughout school, and then the military, the more I realized how fortunate I was to grow up in a stable and loving home. I have wonderful parents who adeptly transition between “tough love” and unwavering love and support, as needed. Still having two parents who I respected involved in my life as I progressed into adulthood was nowhere near as common as I ever would have guessed.
Although I’ll be the first to admit (followed closely by my mother) that I don’t call home nearly as much as I should, I stopped taking them for granted a long time ago.
I think that a person’s values are a big part of their spiritual resilience. How you define yourself in your own mind can be a big part of the code or ethical principles guiding you through life.
Whether it’s burying yourself in a book, losing yourself in a hobby or leaning on friends or family, being able to ground or “re-center” yourself can help you face and work through stresses, changes and adversity in your life.
I don’t think it matters if you’re atheist, agnostic or follow your preferred religion; spiritual resiliency can play a huge role in your life. Chapel sponsored events like this retreat are a valuable opportunity to relax, destress and talk with people who probably deal with a lot of the same stressors as you.