"When we come out of adversity with greater inner strength we add to our semblance of control in life. We have the feeling that if we can handle what once seemed too much for us, then we can deal with most anything Challenge and control, combined with commitment to pursuits larger than the self, constitute
the three Cs that make for hardiness, a well-researched attribute that enhances not only health but resilience.
A forth C that contributes to our durability is courage, both the courage to dare and the courage to endure, to take risks and to show fortitude. What we often associate courage with in illness is withstanding pain or undergoing aggressive surgical and medical treatment that produces powerful side-effects. Patients often feel or are told that they are in a fierce battle and must fight back like a warrior. I agree that there are circumstances requiring such an active stance, but no less heroic is the courage to resist trying so hard that we break the connection with the sources of our core health. When we try to grasp a beautiful butterfly resting in the palm of our hand, we crush it. ' To entice it to remain there, you must make the nectar of your life so sweet that the butterfly...is irresistibly drawn to stay.'
"There is yet another kind of courage that resilience requires. This is the courage to confront ourselves on what we find too painful or shameful to acknowledge in ourselves or what we don't want others to know about us. Whatever our dark side is, it takes courage to deal with it, and we can't overcome loss and failures with resilience until we do.
"The research of Dr. James Pennebaker, at The University of Texas at Austin, has shown the benefits of self-confrontation and disclosure in both sickness and health. He and other researchers have found that talking or writing about traumatic experiences, including shameful ones, improves immune function, reduces visits to physicians for illness, and brings better performance at work or school."
To quote Emily Dickinson, "The past is not a package one can lay away." Not without risk to our health or resilience, that is for certain.
UPDATED: 10-28-2004
Editorial Board | Legal Disclaimer | Privacy & Security | Contact Us
©2000-2006 Office of Institutional Advancement, UT-Houston
Dr. Blair Justice is professor emeritus of psychology at UT School of Public Health and the author of several books. His wife, Dr. Rita Justice is a psychologist in private practice in Houston.
See Drs. Justice also at:
Men: Pay Attention
to Your Bicycle Seat
Men who bike more than three hours a week should be aware that standard bicycle seats, ridden for extended periods, can cause temporary numbness and, in some, more serious problems, such as erectile dysfunction.
Such problems are caused by compression of an artery and a nerve connected to the penis. New seat designs to minimize compression are now available.
Other preventive measures you can incorporate:
