Topic Tuesday // Resilience as a response to discrimination // Tues, 17 May, 7pm AEST

[CherryBomb]

---

@Kurra wrote:
We see a huge degree of resilience in babies making that developmental move from crawling to standing upright and walking. They fall over countless times but get up and try again. Resilience to me is about being initially upset as all humans will but having the strength and courage to bounce back again, time and time again.

---

I love LOVE LOVE this. 

[RossQLife]

Yep wonderful reply, @Kurra. I like the idea of resilience as a learning process. It's what I understand too. And this is related to @CherryBomb's questions. 

I think resilience often means, like @Former-Member says, to live with the unbearable. We all find ways to keep our heads up, to get through the day and repeat. When this happens often and long enough, this means we learn to adapt to pretty awful situations. So sometimes being resilient can take on elements that are not so great, like withdrawing into our own worlds, or even a kind of depression.

Talking to services like QLife or Lifeline is often a choice people make to help when things seem unbearable. Feeling connected and supported can make all the difference.

[CherryBomb]

@RossQLife so it sounds like resilience means a form of coping to get by...even if it has negative consequences on your mental health. 

How can you stay on top of being resilient in a way that is good for your  mental health?

[eth]

@RossQLife Does QLife also support allied carers and family members?  

[Kurra]

Recently I've started wondering if we too play a role in discrimination. We can accept it and ultimately be adversely affected by such attitudes or we can choose to reject discriminatory words and behaviours and stand tall by taking whatever actions we can to counteract these derogatory myths.

[CherryBomb]

That's a great point @Kurra. Thinking about what @RossQLife said about how individuals learn ways to cope with discrimination, which might not be that great for them in the end, I wonder what we can do better together to challenge discrimination.

[RossQLife]

@eth yep we absolutley do!

And I'd suggest good reslience is a couple of things. finding the things you love that build you up. (For me it's reading, or movies, or videogames, my secret shame... family conversations are great too) The other side of good resislience is working through with a great support team what things you've adapted to over time that may be holding you back. Does everyone relate when I point out resilience can be things we;ve learned that hold us back? Shyness was a big one for me.

[Former-Member]

With mood swings i never quite know how I'm gonna take people, sometimes the slightest thing has me upset crying & non functional & other days i can handle it. I hate myself for expecting other people to understand & accommodate something so unpredictable when i can't myself.

[RossQLife]

Hey @kurra - it reminds me of an inspiring thing our friends at Living Proud are doing. They are collecting active shows of support from people atround IDAHoT day - check out this link! http://www.livingproud.org.au/ending-lgbti-discrimination-on-idahot-may-17/

If you wanted to contrubute a message, that would be awesome!

[CherryBomb]

---

@RossQLife wrote:

@eth yep we absolutley do!

Does everyone relate when I point out resilience can be things we;ve learned that hold us back? Shyness was a big one for me.

---

Being a perfectionist is mine, underpinned by an anxiety about never feeling like I'm good enough. My way of coping is to be overly critical of myself. Helps me get things done, but I also get very tired and stressed in the long run.