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How Resilience and Gratitude Build True Wellbeing: Why These Essential Qualities Foster Inner Strength and Lasting Happiness
- Anne Bellavance
- Jun 15
- 4 min read
Updated: Jul 31
What Builds True Wellbeing? Resilience, Gratitude and the Power of Perspective.
We are often told to “stay positive” or “avoid negativity”—but as Dr John Bellavance explores in his insightful video, Resilience and Gratitude, this well-meaning advice can actually undermine our emotional wellbeing when it discourages us from facing life’s challenges with honesty, responsibility, and inner strength.
🔗 Watch the video here: https://youtu.be/zi59GV5ZmgE?si=zcWFoXozaA-5OoOn
Introduction: Finding Strength Through Life’s Challenges
Life is full of ups and downs—moments of joy, sadness, success, and difficulty. True wellbeing does not mean avoiding pain or pretending everything is perfect. It means learning how to grow through challenges with wisdom, courage, and compassion. As explored in the video “Resilience and Gratitude”, the key to emotional and mental wellbeing lies in how we respond to hardship, not in its absence.
Two powerful tools that shape this response are resilience and gratitude. These inner qualities empower us to face adversity with hope and strength, while deepening our appreciation for life, relationships, and personal growth. As women, mothers, daughters, leaders, and peacebuilders, we are continually called to develop these qualities—not just for ourselves, but for our families, communities, and the world.
Resilience: Building Inner Strength and Emotional Maturity
Resilience is not simply bouncing back from hardship. It is the process of developing the internal capacity to navigate life’s trials with perseverance, emotional intelligence, and meaning. In the face of disappointment, loss, or uncertainty, resilient people don’t shut down—they lean in.
At the heart of resilience is responsibility—not blame or shame, but the conscious choice to take ownership of our responses, actions, and growth. Rather than waiting for life to become easier, resilient individuals ask, “How can I respond in a way that strengthens me and serves others?”
Accepting Emotions Without Judgement
An important part of resilience is emotional acceptance. Trying to suppress negative emotions—anger, sadness, fear—may seem like a way to maintain control, but it often leads to anxiety, disconnection, and even depression.
Research in psychology shows that those who allow themselves to feel their emotions, while processing them constructively, experience more peace and emotional balance.
Accepting emotions as natural and human, rather than signs of weakness, creates space for compassion and clarity. It allows us to meet others and ourselves with understanding rather than judgement.
Turning Challenges Into Purpose
Resilience also involves finding meaning in difficult times. Whether it’s illness, personal loss, or change, these moments can be transformed into opportunities for growth when we ask, “What is this experience trying to teach me?” By doing so, we take the role of authors of our lives, rather than victims of circumstance.
Resilience grows over time—through reflection, support, and practice. It is not about being invulnerable, but about being grounded and adaptable in the face of life’s unpredictability.
Gratitude: A Transformative Mindset for Joy and Connection
While resilience helps us face what’s difficult, gratitude helps us recognise what is good. It shifts our focus from what is lacking to what is already present, even in the smallest of ways. It is the practice of acknowledging the kindness, beauty, and opportunity that surrounds us—even during tough times.
Gratitude is not a denial of hardship, but a decision to also honour the blessings that often go unnoticed: the warmth of a friend’s encouragement, the colours of the sunrise, the kindness of a stranger, the lessons we’ve learned, or the strength we didn’t know we had.
Psychological and Emotional Benefits
Scientific studies in the field of positive psychology have consistently shown that gratitude has powerful effects on emotional health and wellbeing.
People who regularly practice gratitude report:
Higher levels of happiness and life satisfaction
Increased optimism and emotional balance
Greater resilience in the face of adversity
Less anxiety, depression, and resentment
By focusing on what is going right, gratitude interrupts cycles of negative thinking and helps prevent us from ruminating on what we cannot control.
Strengthening Relationships and Self-Esteem
Gratitude also improves our relationships. When we express appreciation for others—whether family, friends, or colleagues—it builds trust, empathy, and connection. Rather than taking people for granted, we begin to see their efforts, kindness, and sacrifices.
On a personal level, gratitude reduces the need for comparison. When we appreciate our own journey, we no longer feel the pressure to measure our worth by someone else’s success. We begin to feel a deep sense of self-respect and confidence, rooted in our own growth and values.
A Daily Practice of Resilience and Gratitude
These two qualities—resilience and gratitude—are not one-time achievements. They are daily practices that require intention and effort. Fortunately, they don’t require perfect conditions or external success to flourish.
Here are a few simple ways to integrate them into everyday life:
Reflect each evening on one challenge you faced and how you responded. What can you learn from it?
Keep a gratitude journal, listing three things each day that made you smile or feel supported.
Name your emotions instead of suppressing them. Give yourself permission to feel and heal.
Express appreciation to someone in your life through a message, a call, or a small act of kindness.
Reframe setbacks by asking: What is this teaching me about myself or others?
Over time, these practices help cultivate a deeper sense of peace, clarity, and strength.
The Foundation of Peace Begins Within
The path to a peaceful world begins with the transformation of the individual. As women working to uplift our communities and promote a culture of heart, we are called to nurture these inner qualities in ourselves and in others.
When we embody resilience, we become unshakable in purpose. When we live with gratitude, we radiate joy and compassion. Together, they create the foundation for personal wellbeing, strong relationships, and a more harmonious society.
In the words of the Women’s Federation for World Peace: “Living for the sake of others” begins within. By strengthening our inner world, we prepare ourselves to build the world we long for—a world marked by peace, dignity, and hope.
Watch the video to explore these themes in depth:🎥 Resilience and Gratitude
Videos and Framework created by Dr John Bellavance
Global Vice President, Sun Moon University (SMU) | Oceania Coordinator, International Association of Academicians for Peace | Vice-President, Universal Peace Federation Australia
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