Stamps: Some Thoughts on Resilience
If you follow me on LinkedIn you’ve seen my Thursday Good News Round Up. If you’ve never seen it, I ask followers to share their good news and small victories so we can celebrate each other. People often ask me why I started it. It began as a reaction to how I felt—and what I noticed many were feeling—while going through an unexpected layoff in February 2025. I felt despondent, afraid, and heartbroken watching the career I loved unravel, and the senseless destruction of pretty much everything devoted to the greater good. I couldn’t imagine how I’d get back on my feet. The Good News Round-up started as a way for me to pause, reflect, and feel connected to community. I needed a reminder that even in the worst times there are glimpses of beauty, moments of awe, and the levity of joy. Small steps and tiny victories are building blocks of hope that build confidence and move us forward. They make us resilient. I know this from experience.
Losing my job and watching the organization I loved close isn’t the first time my life imploded. Many years ago, my young husband died. Everything I thought I knew about life, my future, and who I was just evaporated. It’s amazing what you can do when you have no choice. People would say, “You’re so strong,” but it didn’t feel like strength. It was raw survival. It was, “what do I do?” Oh, yes. Get up and put on clean clothes, maybe even take a shower. Drink some water. Eat something. Make lunches for my daughters. I remember early on after he died, I went out and bought stamps. That’s it. I was so proud. I’d bought stamps! You need a stamp? I got ‘em. It sounds silly but it made me feel competent and energized. It gave me hope. Maybe I could do more. Maybe I had some resilience inside me after all.
Pause, Acknowledge, Celebrate
So often I hear people say they’re getting nothing done. I always ask if that’s really true. When they stop and reflect, a list emerges—small accomplishments, sometimes even big ones. I see their shoulders drop, their faces soften. They begin to feel proud and their energy lifts. Our days go by in a blur, even the endless ones. We rarely stop to give ourselves credit. But we must. We need to slow down enough to recognize what we are doing, what’s good around us, and what we’re capable of. There is value to celebrating your victories, no matter how tiny. Neuroscience tells us that the dopamine that is released when we celebrate our wins builds new neural pathways and makes us want to do whatever we did more often!
Community, Joy+Awe+Beauty
Resilience stands on additional other pillars: community and joy+awe+beauty. These are not luxuries. They are as essential as food and sleep. We need to stay connected—to friends, family, neighbors, faith groups, sports teams, whoever your people are. Relationships are a key driver of well-being. We need each other. And yes, we need joy. Some may think it sounds like toxic positivity, but it’s not. It’s survival. Joy gives us energy and hope. Beauty and awe release endorphins that ease anxiety and fear. The three of them live hand in hand. We need to laugh and love. We need to revitalize ourselves. All of these are components of self-care. Self-care isn’t selfish. It is choosing to also take care of yourself and as much as it might be nice to sit in a bubble bath, it is really about the small decisions we make and actions we take to regulate and restore ourselves each day.
So pause, notice what you are doing- even the smallest actions, celebrate yourself, see the beauty, allow yourself to recognize and feel joy, connect with your community and know that resilience is within you. What do you notice and what will you celebrate today?
