Conclusion

A Few Final Thoughts...

Hopefully this website has provided some insight on the practice of resiliency in the face of challenging moments. Below you will find some final words on this vast topic of resilience.

Rebekah

My final words to anyone reading this that is going through a disaster is, you got this. You survive the worst of days 100% of the time, and now you can keep moving forward. I believe that facing fears, even indirectly is the biggest path to resiliency because you must face challenges (and fears) to become resilient. Once you've hit that lowest of the lows, then you can rise above it and keep going. You don't have to go it alone because social support is the second biggest factor to blossoming resiliency. Find others who shared in your adversity (websites, support groups, phone support lines) and go forward from this life change together.

Josh

There's a quote that I would like to conclude with from former Prime Minister of England, Winston Churchill. He is credited with saying, "If you're going through hell, keep going." My family has a similar quote, "the only way out is through." The guidance offered in this pages belies the fact that this work of recovery and resilience is difficult, long, and in some cases, never ending. We carry our traumas with us. But as we keep moving forward, keep working on building ourselves after being broken down, we find ourselves anew, with greater purpose, and with a certain amount of wisdom that is not attainable through any other means. You are worth the effort. And life is worth living, even if the paramters have changed. We wish you only the best and hope that these pages have brought inspiration and hope in your journey.

Yasmin

A final message I have to people experiencing a specific challenge or disaster is: Dont Give Up! When faced with adversity, dont stop and keep going! Take baby steps towards recovery and towards building resilience. I really believe that what does not kill you will make you stronger, so stay for the ride and learn from the path. Do not let the emotion of fear take over your humanly qualities of logic, critical thinking, love, empathy, and compassion. Give support to others who need it. Embrace your own vulnerabilities because that is what makes you human. And lastly open yourself up to receiving the social support, the love, the mentorship, and the guidance you need.

Roselyn

To conclude, I would like to share anyone who is facing troubles and tribulation because of a disaster or even any of life's challenges this poem by Martha Postlethwaite--Clearing.

Do not try to save

the whole world

or do anything grandiose.

Instead, create

a clearing

in the dense forest

of your life

and wait there

patiently,

until the song

that is your life

falls into your own cupped hands

and you recognize and greet it.

Only then will you know

how to give yourself to this world

so worthy of rescue.

Helen

My final words to people who have been through devastatingly traumatic events in their lives are to stay with a positive attitude and continuously grow. Do not let dark moments control your whole life. Making a plan, moving with small steps, eventually, you will reach your goals. There are fears, thorns, pain, joy, darkness, and sunshine in the journey of life. You can manage your state physically and emotionally. As Dave Sanderson said in the TED talk "You choose to grow or wither".

Patience of Hope

Christina Rossetti

The flowers that bloom in sun and shade

And glitter in the dew,

The flowers must fade.

The birds that build their nest and sing

When lovely spring is new,

Must soon take wing.

The sun that rises in his strength

To wake and warm the world,

Must set at length.

The sea that overflows the shore

With billows frothed and curled,

Must ebb once more.

All come and go, all wax and wane,

O Lord, save only Thou

Who dost remain

The Same to all eternity.

All things which fail us now

We trust to Thee.

Smith, C. (2019, December, 5). Christina Rossetti – Five Favorite Poems. https://englewoodreview.org/christina-rossetti-five-favorite-poems/

Sol

The word disaster can encompass a broad range of experiences and the way that experience is interpreted is very personal and unique to each person. No matter the degree of the disaster (which is also subjective), some of the same elements are present in overcoming it; reflection, adaptation, and a motivating force that gives you purpose in continuing forward. Over the course of studying resilience, I have revisited this poem by Elizabeth Bishop several times; the content is clearly painful to the writer but in it she expresses that it is possible to continue to move forward even as we carry our pain with us. In writing the poem she also demonstrates her ability to reflect on her pain and transform it into an act of creation.

The art of losing isn’t hard to master;

so many things seem filled with the intent

to be lost that their loss is no disaster.

Lose something every day. Accept the fluster

of lost door keys, the hour badly spent.

The art of losing isn’t hard to master.

Then practice losing farther, losing faster:

places, and names, and where it was you meant

to travel. None of these will bring disaster.

I lost my mother’s watch. And look! my last, or

next-to-last, of three loved houses went.

The art of losing isn’t hard to master.

I lost two cities, lovely ones. And, vaster,

some realms I owned, two rivers, a continent.

I miss them, but it wasn’t a disaster.

—Even losing you (the joking voice, a gesture

I love) I shan’t have lied. It’s evident

the art of losing’s not too hard to master

though it may look like (Write it!) like disaster.

Bishop, E. (1979). One Art. Retrieved from https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/47536/one-art.

Michelle

This message is for someone who has been exposed to a disaster or for someone who finds themselves in a place where they are supporting someone who has experienced disaster. Many things can lead to an increased level of resilience. Of the ten resilience factors that have been addressed on this website, I think one of the most important factors is Social Support. It is so important to surround yourself with support from family, friends, and especially those who may have experienced a disaster previously. There are many ways of support to explore including websites, hotlines, and peer-to-peer partnerships. Do not hesitate to reach out, support is what you need.

Crista

Resiliency is complex skill that allows us to rebound from adversity and come back a stronger, more resourceful person.

In looking back at what I have learned about resilience, I see that there are many pieces that when put together make a person resilient. These ten pieces are important to those facing a natural disaster. They all have a role in supporting a person in their ability to cope and become more resourceful.

Here are two quotes that I think are pertinent to what we have learned about resiliency:

“Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it.” - Helen Keller

"Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful." - Joshua J. Marine

Nobody can heal alone. There are multiple factors that go into recovery from disaster and trauma, as we hope we have conveyed in this website. Each member of this group hopes that the inspiration, research, anecdotes, personal stories, and introductions to the ten factors of resilience found here can help anybody looking to heal from this specific type of trauma. Please feel free to share this website with anybody you know recovering from a disaster. We wish you nothing but the best.

A special thank you to Professor Kosuke Niitsu at the University of Washington Bothell for his guidance and support, and to Dr. Akiko Kondo and the students at Tokyo Medical and Dental University for their partnership and collaboration.

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