Five Spiritual Qualities for Greater Resilience

Over the past few months, even before COVID-19 arrived, I have been thinking about the intersection on the Venn diagram between spirituality and resilience.  These two fields are related, but are not the same.  Spirituality might be defined as the cultivation of greater awareness (or da’at), that expanded consciousness, that recognizes Divinity (or the Sacred or Mystery) as it manifests and moves in the world.  Resilience is part of the wellness world, the capacity to stay grounded and to bounce back even in the most unfavorable of circumstances.

I have been thinking about that intersection, the spiritual qualities that expand our awareness and can also help us be more resilient. I have settled on five qualities: joy, gratitude, courage, connection and trust.   Each of these qualities has a spiritual dimension and they are also particularly powerful in strengthening our spirits, giving us greater perspective, and helping us live more fully and generously.  I will be writing more about these qualities in future blog posts.

But for now, to make it really concrete, I am starting to keep a daily log of small things I can do each day to practice these qualities. After all, one of the things we learn from the world of middot is that states of heart and mind can be cultivated through practice, even if a person is not feeling them spontaneously at any one particular moment.  Small actions over time add up.  So for example, here is my list of intentions for today:

Joy: Eat fresh pineapple and really savor the juicy, succulent sweetness.
Gratitude: Bake bread and witness the miracle of ordinary ingredients transforming into a warm, nourishing staple that makes the whole apartment smell delicious.
Courage: Keep a particular boundary with a particular teenager – not always so easy.
Connection: Reach out to at least 5 people who I know are feeling vulnerable in this time of isolation.
Trust: Read Psalms, both as a traditional practice for healing, but also as a way of connecting with our ancestors’ deep ability to lean into God as a source of goodness and protection.

Like any spiritual practice, I might not actually be able to do all five in any one day. And that's okay. It's practice.

If anyone would like to join me on this and share, I'd love that!