Our experience with Covid-19 has drawn on for quite a long time. It has been a year now and everyone is exhausted by it.
The Covid-19 experience has created some tremendous challenges for individuals and for society as a whole. People have been increasingly experiencing anxiety or struggling with marital issues. There have definitely been challenges with working from home and stress.
But have you ever noticed how some people are able to rise above the circumstances? They just have an ability to weather the storm. They're able to pursue and persevere. They continue to do well.
How is it that some people are able to push past barriers that would often knock us down?
They have resiliency.
They have an ability to look past poor circumstances with hopefulness, courage, and thankfulness.
And you can, too.
Here are eight tips to help you build up your resiliency:
Tip #1 to Build Resiliency — Practice Adaptability:
Be flexible in what you are doing. Inflexibility in mindset and attitude tends to lead to frustration when things don’t go your way. Practicing adaptability helps to create calm in your mind and body.
Tip #2 to Build Resiliency — Find a Mentor:
Isn’t it nice when you get directions from someone who has been to a destination before? Let me answer that for you. The answer is: Yes.
And mentors are people that have been through challenging times before. Having a mentor to share with and glean wisdom from opens people up for reflection.
So…find somebody who you're able to share your thoughts and feelings with. But also someone who is going to ask you hard questions. And will push back on some of the things that you are currently thinking.
Tip #3 to Build Resiliency — Life-Long Learning:
Your brain is expanding and synapses are firing when you are learning something new. When you take in new perspectives and new ideas, you are able to build up resiliency.
Tip #4 to Build Resiliency —Check Your Biology:
You’re probably not going to have the greatest workout of your life if you’ve been snacking on Doritos and having a week long Netflix marathon. If you want to have a great work out, do well on a work presentation, or ace a test, then you are going to do the right things to prepare.
Resilient people do the right things to get everything moving in the right direction. You don’t want to be doing things that will actively work against you when times get hard.
Eating, getting enough rest, and exercise will help you build up resiliency.
And this also may include needing to turn off the electronics and social media.
Tip #5 to Build Resiliency —Journal:
You’re not just getting your thoughts out on paper and clearing your mind when you write something down.
You're also keeping a record of what you’ve accomplished. You’ll be able to go back and reflect on where you have been in the past. And the places that you have been from.
Tip #6 to Build Resiliency —Accept Responsibility & Take Control:
Feelings of life being “out of control” often leads to anxiety. And if you are feeling this, there are certainly things you can do to lessen those experiences of anxiety.
You have more control over your life than you may often think about. The more that you're able to take control of your life and the more you're able to accept responsibility for yourself, the more your world opens up. And it helps you build up resiliency.
Tip #7 to Build Resiliency —Accept Your Strengths:
Why is it so hard for so many of us to accept our strengths? You are good at things. Don't deny that. Accept your strengths and appreciate them.
You’ll be much happier when you do. And you’ll develop greater amounts of grit and resilience when you do.
Tip #8 to Build Resiliency —Learn to Laugh:
Laugh at yourself. Laugh at the circumstances. Try not to take yourself too seriously.
Finding humor in the everyday can lighten the mood. It releases the “feel good” hormones in your body. It breaks up tension.
And it creates enough space for you be adaptable and think about options. Laughter is so good.
Conclusion
Life is hard. But you are able to push through. You don’t have to get swept up in the wave of emotions that come with circumstances. You can learn to be emotionally regulated.
And you can develop the type of grit and resiliency that will carry you through the good and bad times.
Jason Wilkinson helps professionals to develop the resilience and determination to succeed in reaching their goals. Wellspace Counseling serves the communities of Tualatin, Lake Oswego, and Portland Metro Area. They also have the ability to use online counseling to help people throughout the state of Oregon.