Resilience
Welcome to my monthly newsletter, Attunement!
Each month we “tune into” a theme related to mindfulness and
explore a creative practice and tune based on this theme!
This month of July we’re TUNING INTO the frequency of:
RESILIENCE.
"A good half of the art of living is resilience."
-Alain de Botton
When you hear the word resilience, what do you think of?
Pushing through and staying tough, no matter what?
That version of resilience can feel like pressure.
The kind of resilience I'm interested in—and the kind I support through my work—is something softer, deeper, and more human.
Resilience, at its core, is your ability to return to yourself. To steady yourself in life’s waves—not by stopping them, but by learning how to ride them with grace and equanimity (check out my original song "Driftwood" that's all about this!).
This kind of resilience can be cultivated.
Mindfulness helps by bringing a curious, compassionate awareness to what’s happening in and around you. It gives you space to pause, feel, and respond with care—instead of reacting from a fight, flight, or freeze state.
When you pair mindfulness with practices that help calm your body’s stress response—like deep breathing, gentle movement, soothing sounds, or creative expression—you support your nervous system’s ability to relax and reset. This creates the space your mind and body need for resilience to take root and grow stronger over time.
The practices I offer through Katy Oberle Creative—like SoulCollage®, forest bathing, sound baths, gratitude art journaling, and mindful vision boarding—are designed to help you slow down, re-attune your attention to the present moment, and reconnect with your wisdom. When you do this, you strengthen your capacity to adapt, skillfully respond, and keep going along life's bumpy, beautiful road.
Creative Mindfulness Practice: The Resilience Timeline
Draw a horizontal timeline across a sheet of paper.
Mark 3–5 key moments in your life that challenged you in some way—big or small.
For each, reflect and jot down:
What helped me get through this?
What inner qualities showed up? (e.g., courage, patience, creativity, connection)
Using magazine clippings, words, symbols, or drawings, collage around each of these moments to represent the qualities, people, or resources that supported you.
At the bottom, write this prompt:
“When I face difficulty now, I want to remember…” and complete the sentence.
This practice reminds you that you’ve made it through hard things before, and it reminds you of the tools and qualities that help(ed) you adapt and grow. Reframing challenges in this way can support your resilience and self-compassion. Give it a try!
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My July Events:
Fancy Kites + Forest Bathing
Wed. 7/2, 5-7pm, Fancyburg Park, UA
Join UA City Council candidate Laura Oldham to learn about the history of this beautiful park, make and fly a kite (or you can BYOK), learn from me about the restorative practice of forest bathing, & enjoy some mindful time in the park!
Embodied Wisdom: A SoulCollage® Journey with the Companion Suit
Wed. 7/16, 6:30-8:30pm, The Be Sanctuary, UA
SoulCollage® is a creative mindfulness practice that connects you to your inner wisdom through the creation of 5x8” collaged cards of imagery which are unique reflections of you/your world.
In this workshop we explore The SoulCollage® Companion Suit; it represents your body’s energy/wisdom/animal allies. These cards help you tune into your intuition, emotions, and physical sensations--this Suit can support you in understanding how your body holds insight and how your energy supports you in life.
This Month’s Tune 🎵:
Each month I share a tune that resonates with the newsletter theme.
For this month’s theme of RESILIENCE, I've chosen "I'm Still Standing" by Janis Ian.
Janis sings about how the lines and scars we carry aren’t things to hide—they’re part of our story. Mindfulness helps us meet those parts of ourselves with kindness instead of judgment. We don’t have to pretend we’re untouched by life. We can show up honestly, honoring the fullness of our experience with acceptance and care.
Wishing you a resilient July!
