The Secret to Resiliency
About the Concept
Life events, constant stress, and everyday challenges can erode resilience. The speed at which you recover from setbacks reflects your resilience, and building this "muscle" helps you bounce back faster and make better decisions under pressure. The key to resilience lies in managing and enriching your personal energy—physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual.
These four energy "tanks" are interconnected and constantly drained by daily demands. Without a replenishment plan, burnout becomes inevitable. While each energy source can be examined individually, they influence one another: high physical, emotional, and mental energy can elevate spiritual energy.
Understanding Spiritual Energy
Spiritual energy isn’t esoteric—it’s the intangible force that makes you feel invincible during peak moments, like when you’re consistent with workouts, making progress at work, and enjoying a harmonious family life. It’s the backbone of resilience, providing an indestructible foundation to tackle challenges and sustain momentum.
Spiritual energy thrives when you:
- Work toward your aspirations
- Engage in meaningful relationships
- Feel you’re making a difference and adding value to others’ lives
When spiritual energy is high, gratitude comes naturally. When it’s low, you may feel defeated, hopeless, or unsatisfied, and compassion may wane.
Assessing Your Spiritual Energy
Evaluate your spiritual energy with these true-or-false questions from the Personal Energy Management Crisis Quiz:
- I don’t spend enough time at work doing what I do best and enjoy most.
- There are significant gaps between what I say is most important to me and how I allocate my time and energy.
- My decisions at work are more often influenced by external demands than by a strong, clear sense of my own purpose.
- I don’t invest enough time and energy in making a positive difference to others or the world.
If any statements ring true, they deserve attention. To reverse spiritual depletion, brainstorm actions to turn these statements false. You’ll begin to reclaim agency over your life and resilience.
Stay tuned for Part 2 of this post, featuring insights from Sheryl Sandberg on rebuilding spiritual energy after loss.
About the Author
Deborah Goldstein is the founder of Driven Professionals, a community supporting the health, well-being, and success of NYC professionals. She also leads Goldie’s Table Matters, offering education and entertainment to corporate and private clients nationwide.