Strengths Work and How It Helped Me Navigate My Illness
What is Strengths Work?
In positive psychology, strengths work is about identifying what’s right and good in ourselves and building on these qualities to thrive. Instead of focusing on weaknesses, strengths theory suggests we focus on our natural abilities, skills, and personality traits that energize us. Whether it’s creativity, resilience, or empathy, everyone has unique core strengths. When we recognize and apply these, it can make a real difference in our well-being, relationships, work, and even in navigating life’s most challenging experiences.
For me, this approach became a lifeline. Dealing with a chronic illness like endometriosis tested my resilience and impacted nearly every part of my life. But I found that knowing my strengths helped me stay anchored, positive, and focused on what I could still do and appreciate.
Here’s how some of my strengths have helped me find a way through.
1) Love
Love – valuing close, supportive relationships – has always been a central strength for me. I’ve been lucky to have a strong network of family and friends, from childhood friendships to connections formed later in life. They’ve been my cheerleaders, celebrating the highs and steadying me through the lows. I know I can ring up a friend, no matter how far apart we are, and speak openly and truthfully about what’s going on. For example, after my hysterectomy, my dad visited daily, lying beside me as a quiet source of support. During my hardest moments, my friends and family have shown me I’m never alone, and that has been invaluable.
2) Love of Learning
Love of learning has always been my anchor. Even from a young age, I wanted to understand the world around me. My mom still laughs about the time I learned to write my name backward just to keep things interesting! Learning has been a constant source of comfort and growth. When endometriosis confined me physically, I spent countless hours exploring new things – from quilting and knitting to completing multiple degrees, including my MScs and even a PhD.
In a way, learning helped me feel productive and fulfilled during the hardest times. I still laugh about the time I crafted a Christmas tree star while high on morphine, convinced I’d created a masterpiece. (In reality, it was just a foil-wrapped cardboard tube – my “Morphine Star”!) But that star was a reminder that even when I’m down, my curiosity and drive to learn remain. And if I can keep learning despite everything, I can keep moving forward.
3) Humour
Humour is probably my strongest (and darkest!) coping mechanism. I’ve been told my laugh is infectious, and I’m always finding the light side in tough situations. Endometriosis has tested my humor, but I’ve found that joking about it helps me navigate the hard times. When I found out about the cysts on my ovaries, I sobbed – but then told myself my love for chocolate had led my body to produce its own “chocolate cysts.” And when I realized I might not be able to have children, I joked that maybe it was the universe’s way of preventing me from raising the next Terminator!
This humor isn’t just a distraction. It stops me from spiraling into negativity, giving me a moment to laugh, breathe, and reframe my experience.
4) Hope
Throughout my life, I’ve had a strong sense of hope, believing that things will work out. I call it “trusting the universe.” While my hope sometimes wavers, especially during “hippo days” (when I allow myself to wallow a bit), it’s always there, reminding me that each day is a fresh start. I’ve learned to see setbacks as redirection, knowing that while my journey may not look like everyone else’s, it’s still meaningful. This hope keeps me resilient and forward-looking, even when the road gets rough.
5) Honesty
Honesty is essential for me. I believe in being genuine with myself and others, even when it’s tough. This strength has helped me navigate medical conversations with transparency and self-assurance, advocating for myself even when faced with dismissive opinions or gaslighting. Knowing I can be honest with myself has allowed me to push through, stay strong, and maintain a sense of integrity, no matter what challenges I face.
Finding Your Strengths
Knowing your strengths can be empowering, especially if you’re facing difficult circumstances. If you’re curious, I recommend completing a strengths inventory to see what comes up for you. Our strengths evolve, so it’s worth revisiting every so often.
For me, discovering my strengths and understanding how they could help me navigate life with endometriosis has been life-changing. It’s given me purpose and resilience – and I hope it can do the same for you.