The Resilient Life: An interview with Eamon Wood, the wayward wheeler

Eamon Wood (aka the wayward wheeler) is resilient. Because of covid-19 he's returned to NZ after living in the US as a professional wheelchair basketball player. He's also represented NZ in wheelchair tennis. He recently challenged himself to get out of his comfort zone by travelling the world on his own with not much more than a backpack, a chair, and a beard. But, we mustn't forget the guitar that he also managed to carry. He's just published a book telling of his adventures and the many challenges he overcame, not just in his travels, but also the events in his life that led to him setting this challenge for himself.    

After reading Eamon's book I was struck by his resilience. Time and time again, his book was a positive message in resilience and hope. I wanted to meet him and understand how his go with the flow approach to life has enabled him to bounce back from adversity but also achieve some amazing life challenges. Stripping life back to the core helped him to understand what was really important to live well and time and again the challenges he came up against reinforced the message that we don't need much to live and grow.

We focused this interview around 8 tips to build resilience, published on the NZ Health Navigator website.

Links:
Eamon Wood (2020) A Backpack, A chair and a beard: The true story of an incredible journey. The Copy Press, Nelson.
And you can purchase a copy here https://www.copypress.co.nz/shop/a-ba...

Resilience is the ability to adapt well to any challenges and stressors you may face in life. The more resilient you are, the more you will feel able to “bounce back” from difficult experiences. Health Navigator NZ has 8 tips for building resilience: know what you can control, make connections, be in the moment, embrace failure, accept change, be grateful, look after yourself, be optimistic. https://www.healthnavigator.org.nz/he... Sourced 12/2/21

Other resources
The American Psychological Association also offers up some ways to increase your capacity for resilience to weather difficulties. They make the solid point that resilience is something anyone can learn and develop. But its like building a muscle, it takes time and intentionality. Their strategies focus on building connections, foster wellness, find purpose, and embrace health thoughts. Check out their full advice here https://www.apa.org/topics/resilience Building your resilience: We all face trauma, adversity and other stresses. Here’s a roadmap for adapting to life-changing situations and emerging even stronger than before. Created 2012. Sourced 12/2/21

Verywellmind discusses 10 Ways to Build your Resilience in this article by Kendra Cherry (updated on 24 Jan 2020). https://www.verywellmind.com/ways-to-... Sourced 12/2/21. This article also says that resilient behaviours can be learned. So if you’re stuck now or want to be better prepared for the next twist in the road, then try their 10 tips: find a sense of purpose, believe in your abilities, develop a strong social network, embrace change, be optimistic, nurture yourself, develop problem solving skills, establish goals, take action, keep working on your skills.

For those of you who like a little more evidence behind your reasons for change, there is this article by the Greater Good Science Centre. Newman, K. m., (9 November 2016). Five Science Backed Strategies to Build Resilience: When the road get rocky, what do you do? Greater Good Magazine, Science-based insight for a meaningful life. https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/arti...  Sourced 12/2/21.