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World Mental Health Day - Building Resilience


2020 has been a trying year. Even the toughest of us have days where uncertainty or loss gets the better of us. Resilience is a practice. Regular practice can help us to get through the tough times, and to know that these tough times are only temporary.


Building personal resilience is about being adaptable to things that don’t go your way. Everybody faces challenges – some are minor while others take a lot more patience. Consciously being able to work through life’s challenges is essential for basic survival and offers you a chance to grow and improve your overall well-being.


Resilient people are more likely to ...

  • Meet the demands of their work and personal lives successfully

  • Take control in dealing with challenges, problems, and setbacks

  • Seek support and ask for help when they need it

  • Know when to stop, relax, and replenish their internal energy resources

  • Have a sense of independence, self-confidence, and self-worth

  • Form and maintain positive, mutually-respectful relationships with others

  • Have a sense of purpose and goals for the future

Resilience is not something we all have, BUT resilience can be learned, practiced, developed, and strengthened.





Build a strong social network - Developing your social connections is one of the best ways to build resilience. Positive social relationships and supportive interaction with family and friends can be a strong contributor to emotional well-being. Talking about a situation with a loved one won't always take away a problem, but it allows you to get support, share your feelings, receive positive feedback, and perhaps talk through some solutions to your problems.


Meaning - Finding meaning is the act of making sense of and exploring the significance of an experience or situation. Doing so may help you focus your energy on what’s important, so you can tune out information, sensations, and perceptions that are not relevant at the moment.


Self-Awareness - Self-awareness is your ability to clearly understand your own strengths, weaknesses, emotions, values, natural tendencies, and motivations. Practicing self-awareness in the face of a challenge or change may help you see your reaction and help balance your emotions.


Self-Care - Self-care are behaviors, thoughts, and attitudes that support your emotional well-being and physical health. Take time to nurture yourself and spend time doing activities that you love. By taking care of yourself, you can improve your overall health and resilience and be ready to face life's challenges.


“Growth Mindset” - Having “growth mindset” means understanding that your own intelligence and abilities can be cultivated and you can learn from life’s challenges to improve your future. Your experiences build your resilience.






MYTH: We only need to be resilient during times of trauma


Resilience is usually associated with traumatic events, such as coping with the loss of a loved one or going through a major life change, but in reality, we can practice being resilient daily. Every day, we may find ourselves trying to do more with less; balance work life and home life, deal with fears of not having enough in savings, caring for aging parents, patiently waiting in line, being around people that are not the same as you, or an obligation that may be wearing you thin.


How we handle these daily adversities is crucial to our overall health and performance. By practicing resilience often, you are better equipped to handle everyday stress, not just the extremely traumatic events. So remember, practice resilience by recognizing how you are feeling and choosing the emotion you want to have instead.



Resources:

  1. https://health.cornell.edu/resources/health-topics/building-resilience

  2. https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/five_science_backed_strategies_to_build_resilience

  3. https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/four_ways_social_support_makes_you_more_resilient

  4. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/how-be-yourself/201709/how-build-your-resilience

  5. https://wellmd.stanford.edu/content/dam/sm/wellmd/documents/10-ways-to-build-resilience.pdf

  6. https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/resilience-training/in-depth/resilience/art-20046311

  7. https://www.verywellmind.com/ways-to-become-more-resilient-2795063

  8. https://journals.lww.com/acsm-healthfitness/FullText/2016/01000/Building_Emotional_Resilience_at_the_Workplace__A.12.aspx

  9. https://www.fastcompany.com/3058091/three-harmful-myths-about-resilience

  10. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/disa.12345

  11. https://www.forbes.com/sites/pauladavislaack/2016/02/08/5-myths-about-resilience/#5a3d4d0b5a57

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