Resilience is a buzzy word that you’ve probably been hearing for a couple of years now. It is all about your capacity to bounce back from adversity or difficult situations. The reason it is important is because everyone goes through adversity. It doesn’t matter how much money you have or how smart you are, we will all lose loved ones, fall short, come in second or be affected by things happening around us that drive stress, anxiety and uncertainty (Coronavirus anyone!?!). The great news is that resilience can be trained and built. We can actually get better at rebounding from a setback. And when we practice and develop this skill, we have ways to manage our emotions during times of stress and can avoid developing mental health issues that could set us back further. The science backs it up too. So let’s talk about how we get better at being resilient…
The American Psychological Association has been studying resilience for a while. Recently they published a nice summary of the 4 components that can empower you in difficult times to bounce back and learn from what life throws your way. Here are the 4 areas:
4 Components To Build Your Resilience:
1. Build Your Connections
2. Foster Wellness
3. Find Purpose
4. Embrace Healthy Thoughts
The first component, Build Your Connections, is all about the people that we surround ourselves with and who we let in when times are tough. Having social support of empathetic and understanding people supports the skill of resilience. Sometimes our natural inclination during tough times or traumatic events is to isolate ourselves. Even when work is stressful, there is that old saying of “put your head down and get to work”. Well I would say this is largely wrong. Hard work for sure is important, but when the going gets tough, you should pick your head up and find others to help you work it out.
The second component is Foster Wellness and that is all about self-care. This isn’t just our physical fitness but taking care of our whole self. So that means what we eat, how we sleep, being physically ready with exercise but also being mental strong and ready with our mindset and mindfulness. We’ve actually talked about this before in episode 2 with our happiness hacks and episode 5 with the luck diary. Both of these activities help us find a positive mindset and open to opportunities.
Another great way to boost our mindset is through meditation, prayer or even journaling if the first two don’t seem right for you. If you are ready to dip your toe in the waters of meditation, check out the app Insight Timer. It is totally free and the leader in the app space for meditation, anxiety and stress management.
The third component is Find Purpose. One of the ironic things with adversity and difficult experiences is that they can actually help us find our purpose.
Lastly, the fourth component is Embrace Healthy Thoughts. That is easier said than done when times are tough, but how we think plays an important role in how we feel. An easy way to focus your mind on healthy thoughts is to embrace a personal mantra for yourself. These affirmations can motivate and inspire us to be our best or help us bounce back from a challenging situation.
There is a last element to resilience and dealing with hard times. Sometimes our grief, trauma or overwhelming stress requires help beyond practicing these 4 components. Seeking help from a mental health professional is a great option to help you cope with life’s difficulties. In no way is this a sign of weakness or your inability to be strong. It just means that this time around you need a little more help from an expert to be your best.
I hope this episode helps you to better understand resilience and gives you an appreciation for why it is an important skill to practice.
