Here at Tria Corda Ministry, we often talk about resilience, an important ability that helps us find healing after trauma, handle stress well, and thrive, even in the face of adversity.
There are five different building blocks of this important ability:
- Mental health: Conforming your mind to the truth
- Physical health: Having good friendships and taking care of your body
- Spiritual health: Consistent prayer and reception of the sacraments
- Virtue: Striving to live virtuously and to uproot vices
- Vocation: Striving to live out your state-in-life vocation, career, and other endeavors the Lord may call you to
When we consistently engage in activities that build these five areas, we grow in resilience.
An important thing to know about these five building blocks is that they do not exist independently. Each building block affects the others, so a weakness in one can bring down the others and undermine our resilience.
In previous articles, we’ve discussed how mental, physical, and spiritual health affect the other building blocks of resilience. Today, we’ll discuss how virtue impacts the other building blocks.
Two Important Things Virtue Gives Us
There are two main things that being virtuous gives us that allow it to positively impact the other building blocks of resilience.
First, virtue gives us self-control and discipline. These things are crucial for helping us consistently practice habits that support our mental, physical, and spiritual health; for remaining committed to our vocations; and for taking action to live out the calling(s) we have from God.
Second, virtue gives us better relationships. When we are virtuous, we are trustworthy, put others first, communicate well, and forgive more easily. We tend not to do things that hurt our relationships, and if we do, we have the humility to ask for forgiveness and to apologize.
How Virtue Impacts Mental Health
Virtue positively impacts our mental health by giving us the discipline to consistently learn the truth and seek healing, even on days when it is difficult or we are not motivated to do so.
Virtue also positively impacts our mental health by making us less likely to expose ourselves to things that can twist our beliefs about God, ourselves, and others. Virtuous people avoid occasions of temptation and sin, and so, do not expose themselves to media and groups of people who can negatively impact their beliefs.
How Virtue Impacts Physical Health
Anyone who has tried to eat well, sleep enough, and start an exercise program knows that these things require discipline. Healthy food doesn’t always taste as good. The couch sometimes seems better than going for a walk. Doomscrolling sometimes seems better than sleeping. Virtuous people know how to do things better for them in the long run, even if short-term things seem better.
Additionally, as we mentioned above, virtue helps us to have better relationships, making our community much stronger.
How Virtue Impacts Spiritual Health
Having virtue gives us the discipline to persevere in prayer even when it is dry.
Additionally, being virtuous helps us to avoid falling into sin, which can distance us from God and block His grace in our lives.
How Virtue Impacts Vocation
All vocations involve other people. So, virtue’s positive impact on relationships helps us to have stronger marriages, better relationships with our community and parishoners, and have better relationships with those we serve.
Additionally, virtue’s positive impact on our discipline and self-control helps us to continue to work towards and on the things God calls us to, even when it is mundane, unrewarding, or difficult.
Conclusion
Striving for virtue helps us not only improve each building block of resilience, but it also builds our resilience itself.
For more information about how to grow in virtue and its relationship to resilience, check out this article.