Love/Hate Relationship with the Word “Resilience”

I’ve had a love/hate relationship with the word “resilience” for a really long time and it didn’t occur to me until recently why that is. People have often said to me you are so resilient and they mean it to be a compliment but the truth is no one WANTS to be resilient they are often FORCED to be resilient and that is what makes it exhausting. When you have a learning disability and/or ADHD or really any struggle that may seat you outside of the “norm” you are constantly in situations that are challenging for you. You have to continuously adapt to new situations, create a new path that makes sense to you and fits your needs, and climb uphill only to feel like you are constantly falling short of the goal. That is so hard to do and there are often lots of tears and frustration because people only see the end result NOT the journey that got you there.

You are allowed to feel how you want about that journey. It’s also ok to sit back and say, “I don’t want to have to be this strong all the time.” Give yourself time to feel how you need to feel and know that it doesn’t make you any less special for needing a break.

With that said, I want you to know I see your journey. I see your struggle and frustration and I am here to be your cheerleader because I also see the big picture. And that big picture also shows tremendous strength, intelligence, determination, and grit. You are cape-able of accomplishing so many things. Just because your journey doesn’t look like someone else’s doesn’t make it any less extraordinary, but you do get to be an underdog that no one should underestimate. And that’s a badge of honor worth sharing.