One of my favourite quotes is by the singer Bob Marley, ‘you never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have’. I often share this with others as well as when times are tough in my own life hold onto it as a mantra to get through.

Strength, I believe is something we often take for granted, a trait that when we need too, we pull on deep down to get us through. If we look back, I am sure if we were told one day we would need to face a certain situation that we have, we would not believe we would be strong enough to handle it but when it comes along we do.

Looking back at the tough journey I went through during burnout I used to think to myself, I don’t think I will ever feel positive again, looking bad it is hard to believe that it was my strength and resilience that enabled me to battle through and come out the other side to live the positive life I do today.

While I am lucky and indeed grateful to be blessed with the life I now live there are times when I still must, like everyone grab at what seems like an unknown strength to help me through. Where this strength comes from, I have no idea but somehow it appears and then when looking back and review the situation I see that the words of Bob Marley have indeed been never truer.

At times I work as a consultant delivering into schools and colleges a programme around resilience which can often be confused as strength. The definition of these is that resilience can indeed give us the strength to bounce back from the challenges life throws at us by enabling is to tap into the strength we have within and the support systems we have around us.

As regular readers of my column will know I often share the benefits of self-care and how it was this that was lacking in my life when I encountered burnout. It is this very thing that when today I find myself in a tough situation I again tap into. I look at ways in which when I know being strong is my only choice to protect myself and give myself extra time where I can to practice this all-important lesson of all, self-care.

Self-care for everyone is different, for me it is reading a good book, tuning in to a good movie, going for a walk (especially if the sun is shining), spending extra time with family and friends, after doing these I find I am able to face whatever it is I am going through a little easier as my resilience kicks in and gives me the ability to bounce back, adapt to the situation and utilise my inner strength to hold my hand as I travel what can be a tough or challenging time.

Maybe your self -care is going to the gym, undertaking a daily run, a swim or yoga or if like me you choose the relaxing route, whichever it is do more of it when feeding your strength hormone, in doing so you will find that you can face those challenges a little easier.

So, remember it is strength that gets you through, but the key is indeed the knowledge that your resilience is the tapping into the things that support that strength when times are tough.