Sisu: The Art of Thriving in Adversity

The trees bowed their snowy heads, a peaceful prayer in the forest.

Angie Weiland- Crosby

Like the trees that are bowed under the weight of the snow, we find ourselves burdened by our world. What do we do under such weight?

Sisu

Wikipedia defines sisu as stoic determination, tenacity of purpose, grit, bravery, resilience, and hardiness. It is held by Finns to express their national character.

I have been told I am sisu. Maybe you are too. Read on to find out!

But first. I want to make sure everyone is subscribed to the blog. This way, you will never miss a post. If you haven’t already done so, hit the subscribe button. Or maybe share this post with a friend that you think demonstrates sisu.

I quite enjoyed the book Everyday Sisu by Katja Pantzar. If you are looking for an easy read that is uplifting and empowering I would highly recommend it.

Have you been told, you are so brave and quiet I forget you are suffering… ok maybe not in words as poetic as Ernest Hemingway. You may possess sisu. My focus is chronic pain. But we can all relate to suffering.

In life there are always going to be those who curl into a ball as soon as things look difficult. Then there are those who try and try and things don’t get better and then they curl into a ball. And then there are those with sisu. Including many chronic pain sufferers. We have faced so many difficult days and for lack of a better option, we choose to rise up. What has happened in your past that helps you decide to rise up.

Sisu is more than just determination. It is extraordinary determination in the face of extreme adversity. My fellow chronic champions will know the difference. We have faced impossible days and found that they do in fact actually end. And then they begin again. We feel to say like Franz Kafka. “I am not well. I could have built the pyramids with the effort it takes me to cling on to life and reason.”

So when wikipedia also suggests that sisu entails an element of stress management we demurely agree. Our existence is stressful. Pain is stressful for the body. This is our life as chronic champions.

Managing Stress

I use this tool in the following infographic as a means of stress management. Can you manage your emotions like riding a wave? I have used this process often and repeatedly to bring down my stress and thereby my pain level.

Foundations of Daily Living

Here’s something else to consider in our efforts to demonstrate sisu. When we incorporate foundations for our health in our daily living we find stress easier to manage. Such foundations include: breath work, nutrition, sleep, movement, gratitude, hydration and what I have heard referred to as clean thinking.

Clean thinking would be guarding against negativity and victim mentality. Clean thinking is productive thinking. You are not caught in a spiral of despair. Clean thinking is inner focused. I ponder on where my behaviors and habits are taking me and less on what others around me are doing. Staying on track with these foundations in managing stress is vital.

And. The best way I have found to manage stress? Say it with me. 👏Forest 👏therapy. It is a beautiful and non intrusive way to manage stress. It is harder to get out into the forest at this time of year in Saskatchewan. But not impossible!

Forest Therapy in winter

Layers are going to be your friend. All the layers. When you think you have enough add two more layers. Be aware of your limitations. Watch for ice. Make it short. Don’t get too far from home. Energy drains even more quickly in the cold.

You probably don’t want to take your shoes off to do any grounding this time of year. If you have leather soled shoes (don’t slip! put them on outside when you are sitting down) you can continue to ground outside. You also have the option to ground using a grounding mat inside. If you are interested in purchasing one I will post a link to the one I have. If your home was built long ago, and you have an exposed concrete basement floor, take off your socks and get grounding down there!

https://a.co/d/8GjYuzl Grounding mat link 👈

Genuine Sisu takes walking through the fire

In your efforts to have sisu do not end up an eccedentesiast. Someone who hides pain behind a smile. This is not the way of sisu. Sisu is finding a way through the pain so that you can genuinely smile again.

And yet. Crying releases stress hormones. Swearing increases pain tolerance. Anger motivates us to solve problems. Silence and smiles are not always the right way to deal with pain. It has been said, Sometimes it is good to howl.

Chronic champions have fallen to the bottom and chosen to rise. With whatever parts of themselves are left. They find solace in these words by Sylvia Plath, the floor seemed wonderfully solid. It was comforting to know I had fallen and could fall no further. This is the best place from which to rise and claim your sisu.

This does not mean we push through and ignore our limits. This simply means we live. Day to day. Moment to moment. Recognizing our grit and determination, our sisu has blossomed in the process.

If I do but one thing today may I be human sunshine for someone.

-butterflies rising

In Norway the phrase, ‘up and not crying’ is used as a common response to How’s it going? I feel like that’s the best we’ve got some days. But there is still an opportunity to be human sunshine. And in doing so we demonstrate sisu.

When you feel broken in your pain and what you have lost of yourself, remember the Japanese art of kintsugi. Picture all those broken pieces in you replaced with gold. Through our greatest pain and anguish we can know that what we are gaining in the process is golden. Knowledge. Patience. Grace. A strength of the highest character.

Pain never arrives alone. It always brings strength and resilience.

-Susan Gayle Wickes

Stay warm my friends. If you enjoyed the post please hit like and share it with a friend.