When the going gets tough, the tough get ... Resilience.
Sheesh. We made it through 2020, only to have 2021 arrive with its own changes, setbacks and uncertainty.
Though it would be nice to ask life to just pull on the brakes and give us time to catch up -- it doesn’t work that way. We are called on to adapt and adjust -- sometimes at what seems like light speed!
We refer to the ability to adapt to stress and adversity as resilience. People who have resilience manage to maintain a level of stability and continue functioning physically and psychologically even in the face of disruption or chaos, while those who are less resilient may feel victimized or overwhelmed, and may resort to less healthy coping mechanisms. (Who here, during these apocalyptic times, hasn’t occasionally felt overwhelmed and started drinking at noon out of a cereal bowl? Or at least had one too many cocktails after the kids are in bed?)
Resilience doesn’t mean you don’t get sad or disappointed by loss, or that you “tough it out” and do everything on your own. It means that you can ultimately rebound from a variety of experiences. As Nelson Mandela once said, “Do not judge me by my success, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.”
There are many ways to help build your resilience, this article, Five Science-Backed Strategies to Build Resilience, outlines five great ones: Change the narrative, face your fears, practice self compassion, meditate and cultivate forgiveness. I encourage you to read more about these.
I also have a few of my favorites:
Connect: Build and maintain positive relationships with family, friends or other community groups. Be supportive and get support!
Laugh: Finding humor in difficult situations can be a helpful coping mechanism! If you can’t find the humor in a situation, you can still turn to other sources for things to make you laugh. I recommend the Austin Powers movies or anything with Will Ferrell in it!
Act: You can’t just hope your problems go away. Figure out what can be done to improve your situation, make a plan and take action.
And, of course, if you don’t feel confident in your resilience you can always talk to a mental health professional who can help guide you on your path to becoming more positive and resilient!
