At first glance, Suletta Mercury appears to be a timid and unassertive girl, lacking in communication skills and maturity. She also faces ostracism because of her past and is called a “witch” at school. The bullying is further exacerbated by her shy nature. However, in times of tribulation, she takes on an iron-clad demeanor. Her resolve to push through is fueled by her mother’s motto: If you move forward you gain two, if you run, you gain one.
How does this motto encourage Suletta? It pushes her to endure and therefore reap the rewards of doing so. Yet, if she decides to run, it also takes away the shame of needing to admit defeat.
While the motto does help to develop resileince, is ‘pushing on and gaining two’ all the time, the best way forward ?
Initially Suletta was totally nonchalant about the destruction that her action causes and the brutal way in which she would attack other suits. She was trained to do a job and she pretty much just did as she was told without thinking too much.
Building resilient means being your own person. It doesn’t mean continuously pushing through without thinking of consequences. Sometimes, in order to keep going, we need to take a break, regroup and try again later. In that process we still gain one, the chance to step away from a hurtful situation and/or, should we choose, the chance to try again.
Self-care is also crucial for building resilience, however, not all forms of self-care work for everyone. Try identifying activities that work for you; journaling, meditation, spending time in nature are just a few common options. These activities can be scaled according to how much time you have. For example, if you have 5 minutes, you could do a quick doodle. If you need to unwind at the end of the day or during the weekend, you can do a bigger artwork. Remember that if you are feeling intensely overwhelmed or affected by the situation, you can always step away and take time for yourself, and still gain one.
The Aticassia Massacre was a life changing moment for Suletta, and together with the experience of being abandoned, it caused Suletta to slip into depression. But with the help of Earth house, she was able to recognise the change of mindset that she needed. Suletta slowly began to realise who her real friends and family were as she cut off those who did not have her best welfare in mind. Slowly she began to find compassion and turn towards others who are in need.
For some, facing the stigma of being diagnosed with a mental disorder can be an uphill battle. Acceptance and empathy can be hard to come by in society and places such as school or work that demand a lot from us. Like Suletta, with ostracism prevailing against you, you can keep yourself grounded as you face your challenges by finding suitable coping mindsets.
As Suletta takes inspiration from a motto, you can also find your own motto as a focus during times of difficulty. You can come up with one for yourself or take inspiration from other stories and narrative in Shadee.Care that offer mottos that may speak to you.
Learn more about resilience here:
How do I know if I am depressed
