The Ebbs and Flows of Cancer Treatment - Snapshot 7

Resolve is a mental state involving determination and perseverance.

A fresh look at resolve

The human spirit is resilient. Resilience is our natural ability to survive, adapt, and flourish in the face of adversity. Although a natural ability, resilience thrives on emotional honesty and the willingness to ask for, and accept, help. It also means choosing to live with a sense of resolve. Resolve is a mental state involving determination and perseverance.

In Round 2 of chemotherapy, I lost my sense of determination and perseverance. I no longer felt a sense of resolve. At that time, I thought resolve was like standing my ground and bracing myself against what was to come. That attitude caused tension in my body and an anxiety response in my nervous system. My mind and body were certainly not in sync.

During Round 4, I experienced a shift in my understanding. I realised that resolve was more like the soft warmth of the winter sun gently breaking through the clouds, softening the harshness of the atmosphere. I named this shift— relaxed resolve. This sense of relaxed resolve eased the tension between my shoulder blades, and rather than react with a sense of bracing my mind and body, it enabled me to respond to the chemo challenges with my mind and body more in sync.

Relaxed resolve— mind and body more in sync.