At any time, regardless of your age, context, or circumstances, you can build and enhance qualities of resilience. With more confidence, the following tips will help you face challenges, cope better with these tumultuous times, and make it through to the lighter, more optimistic days ahead.
Acceptance
While we all react in various ways to stressful events, many of us try to shield ourselves by refusing to acknowledge the fact of what's happening. After all, you can kid yourself that you still have a sense of control over what are usually uncontrollable circumstances by denying that you are even experiencing a crisis.
While denial can have some beneficial functions, for example, it may give you an opportunity to cope with the shock of a traumatic incident, it will only prolong the pain over time. Staying in denial will stop you from adapting to your current conditions, discourage you from finding solutions or taking action, and stifle the healing process.
Accept the situation
Change is an unavoidable part of life, and outside of the individual control are many facets of the evolving environment. For example, you can't monitor the spread of a virus, the speed of social change or how the economy is going to recover. Although acknowledging it can be challenging, railing about events or situations outside your control will only drain energy from you and leave you feeling anxious and hopeless. On the other hand, acknowledging your condition will free you up to devote your attention to the things you have power over.
Focus on things under your control.
Create a list of all the things that you can't manage and authorize yourself to quit thinking about them. Rely now on the steps you should take. If you are unemployed, you can not monitor whether the ideal position appears in the advertising you want or whether you will be offered an interview by an employer. But you can monitor how much time and effort you put on your abilities in looking for work or brushing up. Similarly, if a loved one experiences a life-threatening illness, you will have to relinquish medical professionals' influence, but you can still concentrate on giving as much emotional support as possible to your loved one.
Embrace improvement by looking at your past.
Looking back at examples of confusion and transition that you've coped with before will help you embrace your current situation. Maybe you suffered a traumatic breakup in the past and were able to move on with your life eventually, or did you lose a job and end up finding a new one? You can also see beyond the current crisis and obtain some confidence that you will be able to pull through again by reviewing your previous achievements.
Accepting your feelings
It's easy to believe that suppressing negative feelings and "putting on a brave face" is the only way to get through hard times. But negative feelings do exist, whether or not you want to accept them. It will only fuel your tension, postpone acceptance of your new situation, and stop you from moving on by attempting to keep your emotions from surfacing.
You will find that even the most severe, stressful feelings will pass, the pain of these difficult times will begin to fade, and you will be able to find a way forward by allowing yourself to feel your emotions. Speak to someone you trust to reconnect with your emotions on what you are experiencing.
Reach out ot others
One of the reasons that many of us were struck so hard by the coronavirus pandemic is that lockdown and quarantine separated us from other individuals, sometimes causing us to bottle up how we felt. When you're going through difficult times, interacting with friends and family will help relieve tension, improve your mood, and make sense of all the change and chaos. You will draw strength and create resilience from getting someone to rely on, instead of feeling like you're facing your problems alone.
The people you reach out to may not need to have solutions to the issues you face; without judging, they only need to be able to listen to you. As a matter of fact, what you're talking about or the phrases used are always unimportant. It's the human touch that can make all the difference about how you feel, from eye contact, a smile, or a hug.
Prioritize relationships, even in times of social distance.
Nothing has the same health advantages as engaging face-to-face with someone who is caring and compassionate. It's not always easy to see friends and loved ones in person these days, though. If quarantine, social distance, or travel constraints hold you apart, reach out to others via phone, video chat, or social media.
In hard times, don't quit.
When you're facing problems in your life, you can be inclined to withdraw into your shell. You may worry that friends and loved ones will be a burden or you may feel too drained to reach out. But even though you do not feel like it, try to keep up with social events. They're more likely to feel flattered that you trust them enough to trust them. Good friends will not consider you a burden.
Try to avoid people who are negative.
Some friends are nice, kind and empathetic listeners. Others tend to only fuel adverse feelings, making you feeling far more nervous, anxious, or panicky. Try to stop someone that magnifies, criticises, or makes you feel judged about your issues.
Get your social network expanded.
While relationships are important for good mental health, building resilience, and getting through difficult times, in times of need, many of us feel we don't have someone to turn to. But there are plenty of ways to create new friendships and reinforce your network of support. Be the one to take the initiative to reach out if you encounter others who are lonely or alone.
Commit yourself in self-care
It can be both emotionally and physically exhausting to live through difficult times. Being continuously in an elevated state of stress can lead to serious health issues, affect the immune and digestive systems, increase the risk of heart attack and stroke, and lead to burnout, emotional, physical and mental fatigue.
As the body and mind are so closely connected, it is a vital part of building strength and getting through periods of great stress to engage in self-care. If your body feels powerful and safe, so will your mind, too. Although some of your normal healthy behaviors can be limited by circumstances, there are still plenty of ways to care for yourself.
Get enough exercise.
You typically bear it somewhere in your body while you are struggling with chronic stress. You may have tense muscles, pain in the back or neck, constant headaches, insomnia, heartburn, or an upset stomach? To boost the mood, having daily exercise not only activates powerful endorphins in the brain, but it can also help alleviate pain in the body and counteract the physical effects of stress. There are successful ways of staying healthy at home, even if you can't go to a gym or exercise in public.
Practice a calming technique for "mind and body."
In order to help you alleviate tension and get your nervous system back into equilibrium, techniques such as yoga, tai chi, and meditation incorporate deep breathing and body awareness.
Enhance your sleep.
Nothing wears down your endurance when you're facing adversity, like losing out on a good night's sleep. Sometimes, it will help you sleep better at night by changing your daytime habits and taking the time to relax and unwind before bed.
Eat well.
There are no unique foods that can help to create resilience in difficult times and weather. Instead, it's your general dietary pattern that's necessary. Eating tons of processed food and taking it out can affect your brain and mood, reduce your energy, and weaken your immune system. On the other hand, a balanced diet, one that is low in sugar and high in healthy fats, will give you the energy and concentration to overcome the challenges you face.
Look for significance and intention
It's quick to get distracted by scary headlines or absorbed by the crisis you're facing. But it doesn't have to define you as a human, whatever your circumstances. Your crisis isn't you. You will keep your concerns in perspective, prevent them from crippling you, and preserve your identity by undertaking things that add value and meaning to your life.
Everyone is different, so we all have distinct ways of interpreting meaning and significance. Don't restrict yourself to the standards of others; follow things that are important to you and provide your life with fulfillment.
Give others help.
It is normal to feel weak and helpless when you're in the middle of a crisis. You will recover a sense of control as well as find meaning in your life by proactively assisting others. In fact, it can be just as valuable to offer support as to receive support. Try to volunteer, support people in your neighborhood, give blood, donate to a hospital, or march for a cause you care about.
Pursue your passions and hobbies.
It's important not to set aside interests that nourish your spirit in tumultuous times. It's these things for many of us that identify us as individuals and add meaning to our lives. Continuing to derive enjoyment from your pastimes adds to the ability to cope with the difficulty of tough times, whether it is playing a sport, caring for a pet, a creative or musical endeavor, home improvement projects or spending time in nature.
Stay motivated
Fostering qualities of patience and endurance is an integral aspect of dealing with challenges and making it through difficult times. Tough times don't last forever, but they rarely end quickly because of their very existence. You need to find ways to remain inspired and persevere while you map a path through the darkness.
One step at a time, deal with your issues.
Try breaking things down into smaller, more manageable measures if a problem is too large to deal with all at once. You can still take steps by drawing up a list, learning more about the subject, or seeking the advice of a trusted friend or loved one if your problem seems to have no potential solution.
Celebrate small successes.
Take a moment to savour your little achievements in order to remain inspired and optimistic as you tackle stormy seas in life. For instance, if you're looking for jobs, getting an interview is not as important as landing a job, but it's a sign of progress, a step in the right direction. Taking note of these small victories will give you a welcome break from all the tension and negativity that you face and inspire you to keep going.
Try to hold an optimistic attitude.
Although remaining optimistic and constructive in the middle of a crisis is challenging, many of us prefer to blow our issues out of proportion and make them seem much more negative than they actually are. As an outsider, consider taking a step back and analyzing your situation. Are their rays of hope you can rely on? Instead of thinking about what you fear could happen, try instead to imagine what you would like to happen.
Show gratefulness.
It may sound trite, but even when you face awful times, you can typically find one thing that you can be thankful for, such as a pet's devotion, a gorgeous sunset, or a loving friend. It can provide relief from stress and really raise your morale by taking a moment to acknowledge your appreciation for such small things.
Be good to yourself.
At the moment, we're all going through a lot and everybody adapts differently to changes and upheavals. For any error you make, don't blame your coping ability or beat yourself up. A big part of building resilience is self-compassion, so go easy on yourself.
Building resilience is needed to achieve our goals