Resiliency- Discovering Our Strengths in Our Toughest Times

I open my back door after the World Series win to let my dog out, only to hear honking, excited yelling in the streets, and an overall feeling of ecstasy in the city. I smiled to myself and thought, “we did it!” As a Houston native, I was so proud of this city. We are a pretty scrappy city, and I mean that in the kindest of ways. As a counselor, I often tend to think in terms of contrasts. For instance, I recognize when a client appears to be in a great place, that their depression that brought them into counseling has lifted. I couldn’t help but see not only the contrast, but the rollercoaster ride our city has taken us on the past few months. I watched with appreciation the resiliency of this city. As a resiliency counselor, I’m shouting all the good things in my head!

Guys, we need to get real about how much of a rollercoaster ride the last few months have been. It was only 2 months ago, that I naively left town, worrying about, at worst, losing power for a few hours. I left town, only to be stranded from my home, friends, and family, while watching the most horrifying news coverages. I drove home a week later and drove by one house in particular that stuck with me- on a big 2 X 4 board was written, “Please Help.” It was evident that they were stranded and needed to be rescued during the storm. House after house on that street, I saw a life time worth of memories and valuable thrown to the curb because of Harvey. I was devastated.

Yet Houston, our story doesn’t end here. It doesn’t even come close to ending here. People that are scrappy, get a lot of punches thrown their way. They might even get knocked down a few times. However, they get up; they choose to use the semicolon and not a period to define those lower moments because they keep on going. Houston, we did it. We got back up and kept going. I witnessed donation centers get overloaded with donation supplies, lines around the block to volunteer, lines of cars begging to help with homes that had been devastated, and churches turning their sanctuaries into shelters. Scrappy indeed, right?

For most, they would have their story end on that good note. We took care of ourselves, we looked out for each other, and are continuing to help rebuild. That’s a beautiful thing. Nope, we are too scrappy for that, Houstonians. We weren’t just going to get back up, we had a knock-out of our own to give. Guys, we won the World Series! I’ll say that once more to let it sink in, we won the World Series. I’m not the ultimate baseball fan with all the stats memorized, but I have lived a pretty long life and am sure we haven’t done this in my lifetime. We were down 4 to 0 and came back in a game. Scrappy. We did it! We deserved all the ecstasy that came with the win- yes, those car horns, screams, and dances in the street deserved to happen! The scrappy team came home with the win.

I could end this blog there, right? End it with a win of a life-time. Nope. As a resiliency based counselor, I have to show not just the contrasts in life, but also the parallels in life. I watch client after client, with the most amazing strength and resiliency come into my office. I personally know the struggles that life can bring, the temporary times we all get knocked down, but I see how scrappy people can be; we don’t put a period after our knockdowns, we put the semicolon and keep on fighting. I have also watched how after life’s most difficult moments, comes the rainbow. Sometimes if you can just hang in there, keep fighting, keep living, the most beautiful moments are about to come. Houstonians, you make me proud. Let’s be proud to be scrappy.

 If you are struggling with resiliency during tough times, adult therapy can help. Contact us today.

Amy Rollo is a Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor and owner of Heights Family Counseling. Amy has been practicing for fifteen years. She has doctoral level training in the areas of child and adolescent counseling, marriage and family therapy, and adult counseling. Amy Rollo provides counseling and evaluation services in the Houston Heights and surrounding areas. Amy’s goal in counseling is to journey with her clients in order to foster positive changes and growth in their lives. Read more about Amy's counseling style by visiting www.heightsfamilycounseling.com and read more about her services http://heightsfamilycounseling.com/services-1/