Where does courage come from and how might one build bench strength to be ever-more resilient in the face of onslaughts of all sorts? One of the resources I’ve used for several years is a book from Dr. Melanie Greenberg: The Stress-Proof Brain: Master Your Emotional Response to Stress Using Mindfulness and Neuroplasticity. I know! That’s a whopper of a book title, isn’t it?
I will probably write a more detailed post (or perhaps a series) about Dr. Greenberg’s book at some point because it’s been a useful tool in my own personal development, while also being a resource I’ve often recommended to clients. Most notable are Dr. Greenberg’s actionable recommendations about developing cognitive flexibility and approaching (even the most stressful situations in life) with self-compassion at the center.
A few years prior to writing The Stress-Proof Brain, Dr. Greenberg wrote a short piece for Psychology Today about the characteristics of courage. In my own journey of recovery and as a helper to others, I found it can be difficult to separate the twin obstacles of stress and fear. Darn it all…they seem to ride together.
For many people, I think the expansiveness of stressful conditions can be overwhelming, but the ability to break down overarching stress and the debilitating factors into smaller morsels, addressing the cognitive and behavioral threads of fear, can be a way forward.
But what does building courage in the face of fear look like? Dr. Greenberg highlights six factors and I’ve found three in particular to be useful tools in building awareness. In my post on Heart of the Matter today I wrote about “The Courage Bucket” and the story of my friend, Laura and my dad, and their examples of addressing fear in purposeful, person-centered ways. Each embodied these characteristics of courage, according to Dr. Greenberg:
- Feeling Fear Yet Choosing to Act: “Courage is about doing what you’re afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you’re scared. Have the courage to act instead of react.” -Oliver Wendell Holmes
- Persevering in the Face of Adversity: “A hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is braver five minutes longer.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson
- Expanding Your Horizons; Letting Go of the Familiar: “Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.” -Lord Chesterfield.
I love each of the quotes Dr. Greenberg selected to highlight her points. I can see glimpses of my dad’s strengths and Laura’s in each characteristic. In fact, they embodied them. You’ll need to take a look at my Heart of the Matter post to see their hero stories…about helping others and taking risks.
Let me leave you with one last thought, courtesy of Viktor Frankl. A treasure and a keeper of a quote from a man who will forever be a bright light, pointing others toward courage:
“There is no need to be ashamed of tears, for tears bear witness that a man has the greatest of courage, the courage to suffer.” —Viktor Frankl
-Vicki ❤
Victoria Ponders 
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