Our resilience resonates deeply within our human spirit. We keep enduring through our many life challenges because we need to respond and connect with the parts of us that are hurting, that are trying, the parts that say “we can do this”. Resilience represents the part of being human. Resilience is there within all of us when we feel like giving up, yet, we do not. For, life does not get easier or more forgiving. It is us who become stronger and prevail.
Resilience is accepting a new reality. Resilience is about holding ourself responsible for a higher standard than anybody else expects of us. No matter how much falls upon us, we keep plowing forward, we keep clearing the roads before us to weather the storms.
Resilience is the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties. To be able to spring back and get up on our feet again in midst of life challenges. It is not about avoiding the stress in life, but learning to thrive within that stress. To some, it is defined as strength, determination and courage.
It is the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy or significant sources of stress. And along with the year long pandemic, which has affected people from all over the world on every level, we have all had to prevail. Whether it has impacted us financially, mentally, physically, emotionally, socially or on many other levels of life balances, we have definitely learned the meaning of true resilience on a whole new level. And, although the world is filled with suffering during this crisis, it is also full of people overcoming it.
When we learn how to become resilient, we learn how to embrace the beauifully broad spectrum of the human experience. Resilience means you experience, you feel, you fail, you hurt, you fall and then you keep on going. Resilience is about learning compassion for ourselves as well as compassion for others. Resilience is about turning our wounds into wisdom. For, no one escapes pain, fear and suffering, yet from that pain can come the wisdom, from that fear can come courage and from that suffering can come strength.
Successful people demonstrate their resilience through their dedication to making progress each and every day, even it that progress is marginal. We all have our own battles to fight, but it is often in those battles that we are most alive as it is the frontlines of our lives that we gain experience, create joy and friendships, discover happiness, find love and do purposeful work.
Within each and every one of us holds innate reserves of unimaginable strength. Resilience is a way to change our way thinking so that we can see ourselves and the world around us in with new perception. And, learning to live a more resilient life has numerous benefits:
- decreased depressive symptoms and increased emotional and mental well-being
- improved memory and mental clarity
- improved sleep
- improved immune function
- improved relationships
- improved coping skills
As we have all discovered, life does not come with a roadmap. We all experience twists and turns, from everyday challenges to significant set-backs at times. And, change can affect people differently, bringing a unique flood of thoughts, emotions and uncertainty. Yet, with that said, we all seem to adapt well, over time, to life-altering and stressful situations. This is due to our resilience and our ability to bounce back from life’s challenges and unforeseen difficulties, providing us with protection, mentally and emotionally .
There are many aspects of our life that we can control, modify and grow with. By becoming more resilient, not only will it help us get through challenging circumstances, it will also empower us to grow and improve upon our life along the way.
Resilience is not a personality trait that only some people possess. It involves behaviours, thoughts and actions that anyone and everyone can learn to develop. Increasing our resilience takes time and intentionality. And though the road to resilience is often likely to involve some emotional or mental distress, the lessons and growth from those difficult and traumatic experiences can be hugely empowering.
Resilience isn’t a single skill. It is a variety of skills and coping mechanisms. And, to bounce back from those road bumps as well as failures, we need to focus on emphasizing the positives. For, we are the only one with the power, the ability and responsibility to pick ourselves back up when we fall.
By building resilience techniques we can greatly strengthen our body and mind to adapt to stress and reduce the toll of emotions like anxiety and depression:
- Embracing self-care – promoting positive lifestyle factors such as nutrition, rest, hydration and exercise.
- Practicing Mindfulness – journalizing, yoga, meditation and breathing techniques all restore hope and positive thoughts of what is to come.
- Avoiding negative outlets – using alcohol and drugs is like putting a small bandage on a deep wound. It is important to focus on the situation rather than giving your body and mind resources to eliminate what you are needing to deal wth.
- Helping others – garners a sense of purpose, increases self-worth, provides social connections along with empowering yourself.
- Being proactive – acknowledge and accept your emotions during difficult times, but learn to manage them on a level that is accomplishing your goals. By taking initiative, however small or big, reminds us that motivation and purpose exist within us even during the most stressful periods of our life.
- Keep moving forward – focus on tasks that help you progress in a positive direction. Develop realistic goals that enable you to move towards the things you want to accomplish during difficult times.
- Seeking self-discovery – most people find internal growth as a result of struggle and hardship. This increases a sense of self-worth and heightens life appreciation.
- Keeping it in perspective – adopt a realistic and balanced thinking pattern. Believe in things improving and change how you interpret and respond to stressful life events.
- Accept Change – allow circumstances that cannot be changed to help you focus on circumstances that you can alter to meet your goals.
- Be hopeful – an optimist outlook empowers you to expect things to improve. Envision what you seek as opposed to what you are most fearful.
- Learn from the past – remind yourself of how you have pulled through in the face of challenging circumstances and all that you have learned from those experiences.
- Seek Help – at times additional resources might be required to get you through difficult times. It is important to realize that you are not alone and that seeking assistance is also very empowering and provides internal strength. Having support of loved ones and professionals is a huge step in the right direction whenever needed or wanted.
It is truly wonderful how much resilience there is in the human nature. Through any obstruction we manage to return to our principles of hope and enjoyment. Persistence and resilience come from having been given the chance to work through difficult problems. We may have to fight a life battle more than once, but it is really our own reaction to adversity, not adversity itself that determines how our life story will develop.
A good part of life and living within it involves resilience. No matter how difficult or stressful a situation may be in our life, it does not own us. It cannot take away our freedom to respond or our power to take action. On the other side of the storm is the strength within us that is obtained from getting through it. For our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising again, if or when we do.
What we mostly need in life is a true picture of our own unshakeable confidence in our abilities, to enable us to charge through any obstacle in our efforts. That is where hope comes from…and that is where our resilience is born.
