I feel Resilient today. Even more than yesterday. Do you? Could this be due to the recent NU Women event on ‘Resilience’?

I have been consistently impressed with the quality of the speakers and workshops that NU Women have provided and again they did not disappoint. The events are open to all (not just women!) and are always very well attended. If you have not been to an event yet – I encourage you to attend. (Although they were operating a reserve list for this last event as they were so oversubscribed.)

What a powerful way to start a workshop. The room was buzzing with positivity! Try it with me now – visualise yourself at your best – imagine waking up tomorrow and being at your peak in terms of well-being, resilience to challenges etc. What would be different, who would notice and what would they say or do? (Note to self: Remember these feelings. File them away for when you need to call on them in challenging circumstances.) This was the discussion topic to share with our fellow diners and participants over a nourishing lunch.

Mandi Sherlock-Storey from Northumbria University, gave us an interesting look at identifying and knowing our strengths, using them daily and cultivating those strengths that enable us to deal with challenges. The examples she gave to illustrate her points were highly relevant and recognisable to many in the room. Giving us practical strategies and sensible advice to help us all to ‘have a word with ourselves’! Focusing on our circle of influence – those things we can influence rather than those that are out with our control was another useful nugget.

Reminding us to be mindful of our self-care and our five a day for well-being, Mandi also encouraged us to become “strengths spotters”. If we see a colleague excelling at using one of their strengths – tell them! I did this today – it made my colleague feel good. It made me feel great. It all contributes to that all important support network that we have at work. Mighty oaks from acorns grow. Why not try it for yourself and contribute to our organisation’s general wellbeing?

Emily Thomas

Footnote: Find out about NU Women’s next event on 29 June 2016 via their blog:

https://blogs.ncl.ac.uk/nuwomen/forthcoming-events/improve-your-confidence-workshop-wednesday-june-29th/