The resilience of Pompeii has stuck with me since visiting there in September 2022 when my husband and I went to Italy to celebrate our 30th anniversary. This ancient city was at the top of our "must see" list and we were not disappointed.
This city was destroyed in 79 A.D. when Mt. Vesuvius erupted. The entire city was covered in 19 feet of ash and remained that way until the mid 1700's - almost 2,000 years! Periodic eruptions over the next few hundred years kept people away from returning to the area.
Excavation of Pompeii has been ongoing over the last 300 years and the volcanic ash actually proved to be an excellent preservative.
I was astonished at the brilliant way the city's streets were designed.
For example, the roads are set lower than the sidewalks, to create run off for mud, sewage and animal waste; allowing residents to walk without getting dirty.
Stepping stones allowed pedestrians to cross the streets without getting dirty. And the stones were placed so that wagon wheels could pass over and around them. Zoom in on the picture and see the tracks the wagon wheels carved into these ancient roads.
The sidewalks also had small pieces of white marble placed amongst the cobblestones. The marble pieces reflected the moonlight, lighting up the walkway and improving visibility to pedestrians.
All of these innovations survived the eruption, hundreds of years of burial and excavation, and now 2.5 million visitors a year walk these streets, marveling at what they see.
I believe what they are seeing is Resilience.
Resilience: An occurrence of rebounding or springing back.
How often have you felt hidden and unseen? Forgotten your gifts and lost your sense of self?
What is buried within you, waiting to be uncovered and appreciated once again?
Have you doubted your ability to face and come back from challenges?
Do the tasks before you just feel too hard and overwhelming?
Has the trauma you've experienced left you feeling damaged or broken?
My friend, There is hope for repair.
I call it Pompeii Resilience.
Even 300 years after being rediscovered, Pompeii is still only 2/3 uncovered.
AND It is valued, appreciated, honored, admired and loved.
Artwork and treasures are still being discovered.
AND there isn't a deadline.
Nor is there a rush for resilience. It is built over time, heartache and hope.
ACTIONS THAT HELP NURTURE PERSONAL RESILIENCE:
Noticing negative self-talk and redirecting to compassion.
Use humor and/or keeping things in context rather than catastrophizing a situation.
Celebrate progress, big or small.
Learn from failures and consider that they are necessary rather than negative.
Practice self-care: getting adequate sleep, regular exercise and eating whole-foods are a great foundation to build on.
Other forms of self-care: Meditation, Pursuing interests, Being in nature, Stretching, Deep breathing.
Reflect on and record past successes as you also learn from past failures.
Be flexible and open to different ideas and solutions.
Focus on consistency. Strength is built with repetition over time.
Seek professional help if needed. Resilience doesn't require a solitary approach.
You may be in the process of rebounding from a set back.
Springing back from something heavy.
You ARE practicing Resilience. Please give yourself credit for what you are building and the time it takes to create it.
Xo,
Meredith
P.S. Many of the tools I use as a coach are designed for building resilience, such as my
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