Resilience – life lessons from trees.

(noun): the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness.

If you’re old enough to be reading this, chances are life has thrown a fair few unpleasant things your way. As a result, I’d guess you’re already way grittier than you might think. Unless seriously lucky, most of us have to endure experiences we’d rather not, and learning how to cope when things are tough is resilience in action.

I like to think that trees can teach us a fair amount about weathering storms, as they are battered by all sorts of bad weather. Some, like the oak, are stoic, strong, and just grin and bear what Mother Nature throws at them. Others, like the palm, flex and bend in the wind. Occasionally, the pressure might become too much and a tree might be forced to grow in a different direction. Worst case, a few branches might snap off. However, given time, the tree almost always begins to see new shoots of growth. In life, bad weather and setbacks will always occur, but we must try to find ways to adapt and remain rooted when they do. Just as different trees take different approaches, the tools we use to get us through tricky times will differ, depending on the individual. Humour, stoicism and reframing are some of my go-tos. 

One of my favourite compliments in life is: “You’re gritty.” I’m drawn to gritty people. When life knocks them down, they are the ones who get up again and again. They are the survivors and the thrivers. More often than not, they can laugh at, and be kind to, themselves. I think, with practice, we can all become that little bit grittier. It helps if we accept that the most interesting journeys through life often involve a few unexpected twists and turns; no one lives a perfect life, even if it appears that way. Rubbish things will happen. Mistakes will be made. You will fail at a few things. So when you fall – and you wll – when you’re flat on your face in the mid, look up. Channel the resilience of trees and remember that, even if you can’t see it yet, sunlight still exists. 

Extract from ‘Life Lessons From the Amazon: A Guide to Life From One Epic Jungle Adventure” by Pip Stewart