Resilience Renewal

Effortlessness is a myth.

People who appear to be experts and have it “together” all the time have tried, struggled, adjusted and tried again. They’re masterful at resilience.

Resilience, is the ability to bounce back from adversity and grow from challenges. People who have developed it wake up every day and recommit to becoming better.

It’s impossible to thrive in “survival mode.” If you want to beat adversity, build resilience.

Core characteristics of resilience are: self-awareness, self-control, problem-solving, and social support. You can train your brain to be resilient by improving awareness about situations, your emotional reactions, the behavior of those around you, overcoming challenges, reframing obstacles to see them in a better light, and putting strategies in place to resolve them.

You’ll also increase resilience by prioritizing self-care:

• Routine physical activity and balanced nutrition

• Staying connected to your personal network

• Limiting social media use

• Prioritizing sleep

• Reducing alcohol and increasing water consumption

• Doing things you love (hobbies, spending time with family, playing with pets, etc.)

Resilience in Action:

• Take a positive stance on a challenging situation

• View obstacles as opportunities to learn

• Express feelings with regulated emotion

• Focus on what you can control, instead of what you cannot

• Reframe thoughts so they’re fact-based and positive

Example: Imagine arriving at your favorite coffee shop’s drive-in window before work, and you’re the 10th car in line. A non-resilient person may be angry, stressed and worried about how being late will reflect on them at work.

A resilient person might take deep breaths and turn on their favorite music (calming mind and body), decide they need to leave their house 10 minutes earlier going forward (learning from the situation) and remind themselves that since they’re usually on time, their employer will understand (avoiding negative thinking).

Life is full of challenges that can’t always be avoided. Whether you encounter small bumps in the road, or significant losses, it’s possible to put methods in place that help you cope and tackle problems. Resilience helps you adapt, emerge stronger on the other side of a challenge, and thrive.

You WILL bounce back!