Book 2 Post 2

I initially chose "Resilient: How to Grow an Unshakable Core of Calm, Strength, and Happiness" by Dr. Rick Hanson because I was feeling overwhelmed by the pressures and high stressors in my life, particularly the juggling act of finding a job while staying on top of my school work. However, as I delved into the book, I quickly realized that it offers far more than just strategies for managing stress. The book's structure is divided into four parts—recognizing, resourcing, regulating, and relating—and provides a comprehensive framework for understanding and building resilience. Each part of the book refers to the various techniques for meeting our core needs as human beings: safety, satisfaction, and connection. As I originally read this book solely for stress, the lessons learned really had me thinking more about my life in the greater scheme of things and was actually super beneficial.

The early middle section of the book got me thinking about experiences that I have gone through that have altered or slowed down my confidence and kind of held me back. Dr. Hanson writes the following quote that really made me think about events in my own life:

 “The Reactive mode tears us down, while the Responsive mode builds us up. Adversity is certainly an opportunity to develop resilience, stress-hardiness, and even post-traumatic growth. But for a person to grow through adversity, there must also be Responsive resources present such as determination and a sense of purpose. Plus most opportunities in daily life to experience and develop mental resources do not involve adversity: there is simply a moment of relaxation, gratitude, enthusiasm, self-worth, or kindness.

Recently in my life, I have dealt with these reactive mode moments where I am essentially torn down because of situations that are essentially putting me backward in this job process. It may be random things like getting concussed, that slow me down and prevent  me from doing school work or applying for jobs or it could be other situations that are inevitable like simple rejections in job applications. These reactive mode moments, just like Dr. Rick Hanson explains, tear me down and put me at an almost mental freeze which essentially makes me unmotivated. Reading his lessons makes me realize how the responsive mode needs to kick in at a faster rate. I realize that everyone goes through these reactive mode moments where they are torn down, and it is about finding the resources or the methods to quickly get past these moments so you're able to push forward. these moments of relaxation gratitude and self-worth are extremely important, and I realize how important it is to remind me of these factors to allow me to again find that motivation and confidence. 

In speaking about confidence, the middle sections of the book dive more into confidence and grit and make me think about the mindset of not settling for a simple job and really not thinking about the end of school as the timeline for me to find success. Grit is really about maintaining the determination to pursue what truly matters to me, rather than settling for less. In applying his lessons to my own job search, cultivating grit means staying committed to finding a job that aligns with your values, skills, and aspirations, even if it takes time and effort. Confidence is the other key factor that can be built through positive experiences and self-belief. Similar to grit, confidence is essential for navigating my job search process with resilience and assertiveness, allowing you to pursue opportunities that challenge and fulfill you, rather than simply settling for what's readily available.