‘…but you don’t have everything you would like to have’ she remarked. ‘You don’t get ideal equipment to fit you. Costs are tight. You get thrown into situations you can’t anticipate. You have to innovate and persevere’.
Bonnie St John
You would be forgiven for thinking this quote came from someone working in the public sector; healthcare, education or the charity sector.
The quote was in notes from a talk with Bonnie St John found in a clear-out. Bonnie made her mark as a champion at the 1984 Paralympics, becoming the world's second-fastest female amputee skier and the world’s first African-American ski medallist. With my core clients in mind, I was compelled to read on, because she shared lessons learnt that I believe are useful for people facing the daily resource and funding challenges.
Anyone for Tennis?
We can learn a lot from sports psychology. My notes focused on what Bonnie had said about why in tennis, some players ‘win’ more than others, on noticing that the critical part of their strategy was what they did in between the points, naming it ‘micro-resilience’.
According to my notes, winners put their racket down, reduced their heart rate by sitting and focussed on themselves with positive self-talk, without getting distracted by the crowds.
If your life were a tennis match, what do you do between the points?
From my work, I notice that when people in fast-paced roles get busy, they skip activities that feel ‘selfish’ that they would otherwise do between tasks, to ‘save time’. These are very often the very things that hold us together.
What do you do?
The Science
Our brains are designed to protect us, loudly shouting about threats, and whilst some threats are very real, the brain is prone to exaggeration under pressure (a challenging email might feel life-threatening, yet the reality is not). Our brain can also think rationally and imagine; it just responds more slowly. Which of these are you more likely to think?
‘Cancel the tea! I’ll never get everything done if I stop for a cuppa with my colleague’,
‘If I take 5 minutes for tea, I’ll feel refreshed and able to crack on’.
If we give that part space to come forward, we have more options and a better chance of spotting real risks and threats.
‘Micro-resilience’, to give it Bonnie's label (I think of it as healthy habits and critical respite!), shapes who we are and how we are, and helps us maintain that. Anchoring habits front and centre, no matter how busy we get, becomes how we survive in tough environments. One study, aptly titled ‘Give me a break!’ (Albulescu et al, 2022) found people felt better, with small but reliable gains in energy and less fatigue from breaks under ten minutes. "Give me a break!" A systematic review and meta-analysis on the efficacy of micro-breaks for increasing well-being and performance | PLOS One
And when things change...
Your resources, sadly, are not infinite, and when they’re all used up, things feel harder. Whilst not scientifically proven, ‘decision fatigue’ is something I see in my clients regularly. Through our work together, I've noticed that when people have more energy and less fatigue, decisions are easier. We deal with change better, and are more agile in adjusting to the moment.
When something doesn’t go to plan, do you feel too fatigued to even consider available options?
Match Point?
Back to tennis. As with any sport, it takes practice. That practice needs to be easy to implement.
After you have exerted yourself playing that ‘point’ (finished a task), could you ‘press pause’ just for a breath? Just one minute tuning in to what is happening, reflect and assess what you need, before you start the next thing could have a significant impact for you.
Having everything ready to practice is key. Make a list of your personal ‘micro-recoveries’ to reduce decision making in the moment. I put mine in a list of Ms (this idea came from Heidi Hanna’s Brain Ideas).
Movement (get out of the chair, walk outside). Meditation (I love Insight Timer), Music – a blast of my favourite song (or three!), and finally, my favourite - Mwah ha ha – watch something funny on YouTube (but don’t get carried away!). For more on this, check out my article on REST.
Resources might be below standard. You may not have the funds you’d like. Yet you can sustain your passion and dedication to helping others by choosing how you manage your own resources. Catch yourself before the warning light goes off. Choose to take a momentary ‘engine service’ and you’ll stay on the road.
Inspire others. Share your own Ms in the comments.
Better still, commit to them with friends!
You might also be interested in this article on REST.
The full interview talks about what is needed to achieve what you want and do check out the original YouTube talk for more about how she translates her lessons to those micro moments.
Want to think about your own resilience?
Sheela Hobden
www.bluegreencoaching.com
October 2026
Image appreciation to: Unsplash - Ben Hershey
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Related articles:
REST - A secret superpower.
When You're Stuck - What to do.
How To Solve Your Problems - A magic pill.
Contact Sheela Hobden at www.bluegreencoaching.com.