While I haven't fully finished "Resilient" yet, it has already provided me with eye-opening realizations and practical skills. As mentioned earlier, I was initially skeptical of self-help books since they often preach vague, feel-good advice without substance. However, I'm glad I gave this genre one last chance, as "Resilient" proved my generalizations wrong.
The book is structured around 12 chapters, each focusing on a different inner strength. These are organized by how we fulfill our needs: recognizing what's true, resourcing ourselves, regulating thoughts and feelings, and relating to others and the world.
The Good:
My favorite chapters have been Mindfulness (Ch 2) and Grit (Ch 4).
The Mindfulness chapter made me realize how much I operate on autopilot, constantly rushing from one task to another between school, recruitment, and personal responsibilities. When Hanson wrote "the person you are gradually becomes what your attention rests upon," it hit home so hard that I immediately deleted TikTok from my phone. I recognized how much time I spent mindlessly scrolling instead of being present in my own life.
The Grit chapter resonated with me because it addressed something I struggle with - feeling overwhelmed when challenges pile up. Instead of falling into learned helplessness, I've started looking for small ways to take action rather than letting things happen to me. This shift in perspective has already helped me approach my academic and personal challenges more effectively.
The Bad/Ugly (not really):
While mostly positive, there were moments reading this book that challenged my existing mindset. I sometimes found myself resistant to the idea of being too compassionate with ourselves, probably because I'm used to holding myself to extremely high standards. The book also forced me to confront some uncomfortable truths and memories I'd been avoiding. However, this discomfort proved productive rather than detrimental.
I would recommend this book, especially to those of us about to start full-time jobs. It's better to develop these resilience tools now before getting caught up in the demands of a career. Even if you only have time to skim through, the insights and practical techniques make it worth the read. Just make sure you're mentally prepared for some serious self-reflection.
Hi Tara! Thank you for sharing these highlights from the book. I think I also find myself on autopilot through my busy schedule and too much on my plate. That type of hustle, I think, leads to burnout and unproductiveness. I think it would serve me very well if I gave this book a read. Thank you so much for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHi Tara! This was an awesome review to read. I liked how you broke it down into the good and bad section, and made it easy to find each with the titles (even if there really wasnt any bad). I definitely think I would like reading this book based off what you said above.
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