Category Archives: Personal resiliency

Maintaining Emotional Safety & Healthy Work Boundaries from Home

When I worked at the Community Counseling Center in Denver, Colorado, I knew that no matter what kind of crisis, trauma, and grief I had witnessed in my clients, I had a 40 minute-drive home in which I could decompress and reorient myself into home life. My front door was the threshold that once IContinue reading “Maintaining Emotional Safety & Healthy Work Boundaries from Home”

On Acceptance

Yesterday, my morning mindfulness practice focused on acceptance. I left the practice feeling ready to embrace the present reality. Then, the governor of Virginia announced that in response to the rapid rise of coronavirus, mandatory stay-at-home orders would last through June 10. Although we had already been practicing stay-at-home for more than two weeks, aContinue reading “On Acceptance”

RESILIENCE IN THE MIDST OF THE COVID-19 CRISIS: Establishing Emotional Boundaries

This is the seventh piece in an ongoing series on topics relating to how we cope personally and collectively in the midst of this health crisis. For questions, topic suggestions, resources, or other, please feel free to reach me at rb@reneebranson.blog I will also be holding a FB Live each day that I post an updateContinue reading “RESILIENCE IN THE MIDST OF THE COVID-19 CRISIS: Establishing Emotional Boundaries”

RESILIENCE IN THE MIDST OF THE COVID-19 CRISIS: Helping Children Cope

This is the sixth piece in an ongoing series on topics relating to how we cope personally and collectively in the midst of this health crisis. For questions, topic suggestions, resources, or other, please feel free to reach me at rb@reneebranson.blog I will also be holding a FB Live each day that I post an updateContinue reading “RESILIENCE IN THE MIDST OF THE COVID-19 CRISIS: Helping Children Cope”

RESILIENCE IN THE MIDST OF THE COVID-19 CRISIS: Finding Calm in the Storm

This will be an ongoing series on topics relating to how we cope personally and collectively in the midst of this health crisis. For questions, topic suggestions, resources, or other, please feel free to reach me at rb@reneebranson.blog I will also be holding a FB Live each day that I post an update at 3pm ESTContinue reading “RESILIENCE IN THE MIDST OF THE COVID-19 CRISIS: Finding Calm in the Storm”

Book Recommendation: Running for Judge

Running for Judge: Campaigning on the Trail of Despair, Deliverance, and Overwhelming Success by Tim Fall is a deeply personal look at one man’s experience of living and thriving with anxiety. It is courageous anytime someone shares their story of struggle with the world. It is all the more courageous when an elected official andContinue reading “Book Recommendation: Running for Judge”

Everything Is Not Awesome And I’m Still Optimistic

I used to have a hard time with optimism. That is a hard thing for someone who talks about resilience for a living to admit, but it is true. I would roll my eyes at the Pollyannas of the world. I have worked with survivors of trauma—and I am a survivor of trauma—so I knowContinue reading “Everything Is Not Awesome And I’m Still Optimistic”

Balance is Bullsh*t!

I am going to cut to the chase. Balance is bullshit. It is a myth. It is a unicorn that is more likely to be a disinterested pony with a papier-maché horn than some magical beast ready to carry us to the rainbow world of perfect harmony. I hope that doesn’t sound too pessimistic becauseContinue reading “Balance is Bullsh*t!”

Resilient Rituals

Each of us have our daily routines. I do the same thing every single morning when I wake up. I walk directly to the coffee pot, and stand trace-like in front of it until the it’s ready. Pavlov’s dogs had nothing on me. Those are key ingredients to me starting the day off on theContinue reading “Resilient Rituals”