The Brave People Who Pick Up Their Pieces and Rebuild Themselves

Brave and courageous people are almost always unsung heroes and heroines. They know how to overcome adversity and have a strength worthy of admiration. Are you one of them?
The Brave People Who Pick Up Their Pieces and Rebuild Themselves
Valeria Sabater

Written and verified by psychologist Valeria Sabater.

Last update: 27 May, 2022

Brave people don’t always make the news. The world is full of anonymous heroes and unknown individuals who perform secret deeds that help them overcome adversity.

We all know someone we admire because they’ve coped so well with a traumatic event. It may be because they’ve overcome an illness, a loss, or a separation, or simply because of their attitude towards life’s problems.

Moreover, it’s even possible that it0s we ourselves who, not so long ago, have gone through a similar event. Nevertheless, we’ve picked up our broken pieces and rebuilt ourselves again. Little by little, day by day, stitching hope and courage into each defragmented corner.

The learning that comes from these moments doesn’t always come from a book. Nor does it come from a personal growth course. There’s a series of knowledge that one acquires by force and without any other option, apart from being brave.
Let’s go deeper.

You’re Braver than You Think

A woman who doesn't realize how brave she is.

The brain is resistant to change. It doesn’t appreciate unforeseen facts or sudden changes in how we see things. However, although you might find it hard to believe, however, there are plenty of psychological tools you have to deal with the difficulties.

  • Our natural instinct is to guarantee oour own survival. That’s why even when negative emotions threaten to overtake you, your internal compass will push you and guide you to recover your path.
  • The problem is that you don’t always allow yourself to be vulnerable. After all, being hurt, disappointed, or torn apart by loss and betrayal can make you feel weak or that you lack the energy you need to recover.
  • However, there’s one thing we want to be clear about to truly be brave: You need to embrace your new vulnerability in order to become stronger.
  • Accepting what happened and the pain that you feel in the present is an essential part of encouraging your future healing.

On the other hand, those who resist will take much longer to overcome these trials.

Rebuilding Yourself Takes More than Just Time

Despite popular belief, time can’t cure everything itself. Actually, sometimes time may even intensify the pain or lead to an emotional disorder.

  • True healing comes with the courage to give way to acceptance, forgiveness, and the will to be happy.
  • Time won’t solve your problems or act as a sedative for suffering.
  • Instead, it’s your own attitude that will allow you to understand that you can never forget certain things. However, you can live with those facts because you allow yourself to move forward and learn from them.

The passage of time can work in the favor of those who decide to open up again to the world in spite of their internal wounds after learning more about what happened.

Read: 7 Ways to Love Your Life

There are Battles that You Must Be Brave Enough to Face Alone

When overcoming any kind of difficult situation, you will need the social and emotional support of the people you love. Nevertheless, you are the one who has to take the first step. It’s up to you to be brave and have the willpower to take care of yourself because you deserve to put the wheels in motion to change for the better.

It might sound harsh and even heartbreaking, but overcoming depression, loss, or betrayal is a solitary act, a process that bears only one name: Your own.

No one can cry for you, no one can give you the strength to get up every day and change your habits. Others can encourage you and guide you, but the responsibility is always your own.

A sunny sky and a rainbow.
Adversity teaches us, but life isn’t suffering: It’s the pursuit of happiness.

Life isn’t Suffering – It’s About Learning to Be Happy

Something else that’s common is to think that “he who hasn’t suffered hasn’t learned to live” or that “to truly be happy, you must first overcome adversity.”

  • Neither of these affirmations is true. Suffering isn’t mandatory. In fact, no one should have to go through a traumatic experience in order to find out what it is to be well or that personal satisfaction where pain has no place.
  • Everyone has their own history. Each of us has a unique and exceptional map of experiences. This is where our particular wisdom, our personal essence, is inscribed.
  • We’ve all been brave, each in our own way. We’re all fortunate to find the path that has helped us overcome difficult times and given way to what we are now: A person who’s stronger, focused, happy, and mature.

Life is a constant learning process

Everything in this life is learning, both the times of calm and happiness as well as the stormy moments of emotional chaos.

The important thing is to feel proud of everything you’ve achieved. To feel worthy of everything you have, that defines you and shapes the beautiful person that you see in the mirror today: Yourself. That’s also what it means to be brave.


All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.



This text is provided for informational purposes only and does not replace consultation with a professional. If in doubt, consult your specialist.