• Mary Ann "Skipper"
  • 2014
  • 0
Boston Marathon

Photo from Quad-City Times Online Phone Gallery

Last week at the Boston Marathon We saw courage, determination and community win as an entire city showed us what Boston Strong means.

We heard countless, heartwarming stories of people’s triumphs, life makeovers and resilience.

How do you stay Boston Strong when faced with tragedy, set-back or loss? While we react differently, there are five pillars of resilience that can support you during both good and hard times.

  1. Self-Awareness: Be cognizant of your thoughts, feelings and attitudes. Clearly a positive frame of mind will increase your strength and support you.
  2. Self-care: Make sure that enough sleep, good nutrition and frequent exercise form the legs of your foundational chair.
  3. Relationships: Your connections with people who support and champion you will be a bedrock. Studies show that people with close relationships live longer.
  4. Mindfulness: Be present and in the moment. Focusing on the past or the future will interfere with your awareness of now.
  5. Purpose: Having a purpose bigger than yourself will give meaning. Living in alignment with your values will increase your strength. The Boston community had a purpose of showing the world that they could not be stopped. That was evident in how they trained the entire year.

We all run in the marathon called Life. We will face triumphs and setbacks along the route. How you train will impact how you show up. Use these five pillars to be strong and resilient!