Let's meet Clare... again!
Meet the Runners revisited #8
Welcome to the 8th edition of the Meet the Runners revisited, where we get to meet Clare… again! Whether it be through a chin wag at a run, reading her blog, or reading her guest article, I love hearing what Clare has to say.
She’s a big part of our community and we’re better for it. So, without further ado, let’s get into it!
How have you been?
I have been ebbing and flowing with life.
Knocked off any running events recently?
I have not run since May before I went overseas, but I'm building up to it with some short runs and walks.
What's been your highlight in the past two years?
I have been doing a lot of personal development in the last two years, which has been tough at times but I feel I have grown so much from it and that's what makes it a highlight.
What's been your favourite thing about R4R since we met you the first time?
R4R is a community where anybody can join and be themselves. There is no judgment or expectation on anybody.
Your original answer to "What does resilience mean to you?" was:
"Resilience is surviving, learning, loving, caring and growing. It's not wanting to choose hard, but choosing hard anyway or sometimes hard is the only choice you have. Resilience is embracing yourself, your life and vulnerabilities to live with purpose and to your values. "
Do you still think it is? Would you change it at all?
Replace surviving with thriving. Resilience is not surviving; it's being able to sit in the uncomfortable and grow from it. To quote Craig Challen in Craig Challen and Richard Harris - against all odds. "There is a temptation to take the easy road, to think that life would be better if we mould it to be as comfortable as possible. But there is a real and serious risk in doing this, the risk that we miss the opportunities that present themselves—missing a chance to lend a hand and help others. A risk of never knowing our own strength and what we are capable of. And we risk that, when we face our test and adversity confronts us, we crumble into a heap and give up instead of standing up. Get out there and to it."
When we met you last time, you had some powerful words for your former self, who was bullied in high school. But you've also written and self-reflected quite extensively through your own blog and in a guest article.
What do you think is the biggest stride you've made in your own mental health since we last met you, and do you have any tips for people to do the same?
I've become better at communicating my feelings with others, especially when I am feeling hurt by someone's actions. I have held back in fear of hurting someone else, essentially putting their needs ahead of my own. Being able to communicate our needs and feelings with others is important and can determine the quality of our relationships with others. Speaking up and setting boundaries impacts our needs being met. Sometimes people aren't aware of how their behaviour is impacting someone else. Awareness can lead to understanding and sometimes desired change.
Self-reflection can be messy; it has you delving into the hurt parts of yourself that you didn't even know existed. Learning about yourself is probably the best gift you can give to yourself.
My tip would be to start small, browse self-development books or videos on YouTube if reading is not your thing (it could become your thing if you want it to :) ), and pick out the titles or content that speak to you. it might spark something in you that you want to delve into further, and this is how you can end up down the rabbit hole of self-exploration and reflection, growing as a person in the process. Remember, it's about the process, not the destination.
You've been a massive part of the R4R community so far. How do you think we can achieve our goal of making Canberra suicide-free?
I think a big contributor to suicide is the lack of safety for people to be who they are. R4R is a community that supports every person who shows up. As word spreads, more groups like this will be created in relation to all the various hobbies out there. Knitting for resolutions, baking for resilience, whatever people's interests are, enabling connection with others in a safe environment where we can be ourselves and no topics are off the table.
Thanks, Clare!
Clare was the brains behind setting up an R4R Blood Donation team and tonight, we’ll have Mitch give us a quick spiel.
