Book 2 Post 2

    When choosing to read Resilient: how to grow an unshakable core from Rick Hanson I was expecting insight. That is not what I gained. I think I gained something much more important from it or at least something that I at present value much more than insight. 

    I won’t go into detail but with my choice of college came another very complicated decision that I had to make. Although I’m confident I made the right decision, that does not mean it is any easier to cope with it. I was hoping that Resilient would bring many novel ways of understanding how I felt and how to deal with it. I wouldn’t say it disappointed in that sense because I believe that it actually would be tremendously insightful for many people. However (not to brag or anything) but I already figured out most of the stuff on my own in the past 6 months or so. 

    But this is not to say I found Resilient useless, quite the contrary. Even when I knew deep down that I made the right call, or at least the best call I could’ve made, self doubt was a constant; It kept me in check, and allowed me to heal in a healthy way, but it was also draining and quite damaging at times. But this work confirmed that most of my methods were the correct ones, that I am handling my emotions in a healthy way, and that brought great comfort. I didn’t even have to take the author's word for it, he supported many of his claims with scientific evidence and logical thinking. 

    Overall, I would say Resilient is a reassuring work. I do not believe that most readers will make the same comment but given where I am in my life, it confirmed that I was on the right path and that for now at least everything was happening like it was supposed to.

    It also is reassuring in the sense that I can now act with more confidence, and I have a better idea of how to act in the future. A lot of the value I drew from this book (which I haven't even finished yet), was self reflection which is much better than self doubt in my opinion. I had trouble getting through the pages because my mind would always go on a tangent, and although that is not usually a good sign, in this case, it absolutely was.