In a world of change, where do you belong? The
answer's clear, it's time to be strong. Mindful
growth, that's where we thrive. With Angela's
guidance, watch your best self arise. Transform
with strong, reach for the stars. Resilient minds,
that's who we are. No one can mean potential,
near and far. Angela, our strong. Welcome back
to Transformation Talk. with Angela R. Strong.
And I'm Angela R. Strong, and this is our episode
three of our Empowered Edge season. Over the
past two episodes, we've explored understanding
your pain cycles and accepting that healing isn't
linear. Today, we're getting practical. We're
building your personal resilience toolkit. You
know, During my 27 years in the military, in
the U .S. Army Reserves, and the U .S. Coast
Guard, I learned that the difference between
surviving and thriving in crisis isn't luck.
It's preparation. It's having the right tools,
knowing how to use them and practicing until
they become second nature to you. And the same
principles apply to emotional resilience. Let
me tell you about a moment that changed everything
for me. It was 2024, my final year in the Coast
Guard, and I was facing the perfect storm, false
accusations, workplace retaliation, and watching
my career crumble despite my decades of service.
I remember sitting in my car, after a particularly
brutal meeting, feeling completely powerless.
That's when I realized that something crucial,
and that was that I had spent years building
physical emergency kits, first aid supplies,
emergency rations for food, communication devices,
but I had never built an emotional emergency
kit. I had no tools for this kind of crisis.
Your personal resilience tool kits need five
essential, and the first one is immediate response
tools. These are your power calls techniques,
breathing exercises, grounding methods. When
crisis hits, you need something you can use in
30 seconds or less. Second, you need processing
tools. Journaling, meditation, movement practices.
These all help you work through your emotions
and experiences when you have more time. Third,
you have your connection tools. That's your support
network, professional resources such as therapy,
coaching. You also have your community connections.
because resilience isn't a solo journey. Fourth,
perspective tools. Reframing techniques, gratitude
practices, values clarifications. These help
you see situations from empowering angles. And
last, you have your recovery tools. Those are
rest practices, celebration rituals, energy restoration
methods. You can't pour from an empty cup. And
the key to all this is customization. What works
for your neighbor might not work for you. Your
toolkit should reflect your personality, your
lifestyle, and your specific challenges. Let's
build your starter toolkit right now. I want
you to think about a recent stressful situation.
Now let's apply each category. For immediate
response, we'll use the power pause. Stop what
you're doing. Take three deep breaths and choose
your next action consciously. For processing,
consider what helps you think clearly. Is it
writing, walking, or talking it out? For connection,
identify three people that you can reach out
to when you need support. For perspective, practice
the and technique. This situation is challenging
and I have the strength to handle it. For recovery
plan, how you'll restore your energy after you're
dealing with all of this stress. Let's practice
the toolkit power pause together. This is a technique
for when you're feeling overwhelmed, and you
need to access your resources quickly. Close
your eyes if you're in a safe space to do so.
Take a deep breath in for four counts. Hold for
four, out for six. Now mentally scan your toolkit.
What immediate response tool What do you need
right now? What processing tool would serve you
today? Who in your connection network could you
reach out to? What perspective shift would help
you right now in this moment? How will you restore
your energy later? Open your eyes. You've just
practiced rapid resource assessment. which is
a crucial skill for resilient living. Your homework
this week is to create your physical toolkit
inventory. I want you to write down three tools
for each of these categories and keep this list
somewhere accessible. Your phone, your wallet,
your bathroom mirror. Tag this using one tool
from each category this week. Remember, tools
only work when you can use them. Building your
toolkit is a one -time event. It's an ongoing
process. As you grow and change, your tools will
evolve as well. Next week, we're diving into
From Victim to Victor, Reclaiming Your Power.
Until then, remember... You already have everything
that you need to handle whatever comes your way.
You just need to organize it and practice using
it. I'm Angela R. Strong and this is Transformation
Talk with Angela R. Strong, the Empowered Edge
series. Mindful, bold and totally free