building resilience
Resilience is all about the process of adapting well to changes in life. These changes sometimes can bring about many challenges such as trauma, tragedy and various types of threats. This can result in huge stress, anxiety and even depression. Challenges vary such as family and relationship problems, serious health problems, and workplace and financial difficulties. The list goes on.
It is imperative that we have tools to help us with the management of these life challenges. We need to write our own life-script and emerge as a stronger person. Easier said than done. There are many aspects of your life you can control, modify, and grow with. That’s the role of resilience. Becoming more resilient not only helps you get through difficult circumstances, it also empowers you to grow and even improve your life along the way.
Resilience involves thoughts, behaviours and actions that we can all learn and develop. Building up resilience takes time and intentionality. There are many elements involved and the following will help significantly in you coming out at the right end.
Finding Meaning and Purpose
While much of modern psychology focuses on the mind and body, the soul often represents our inner essence, purpose, and connection to something greater than ourselves. When it comes to resilience, the soul can be a deeply grounding force. If the soul is something that doesn’t resonate with you, keep an open mind, research and explore it’s existence. The power of the soul is such a profound and beautiful aspect of resilience. If you can connect with your soul’s purpose or your dharma, whether through spirituality, creativity, or service, you will obtain strength when everything else feels unstable. A strong sense of purpose gives you direction even in the toughest times.
Practical ways of achieving this can be helping others by volunteering and getting involved in as many different experiences as possible such as travelling, working in different jobs and joining clubs.
Build your Relationships
Build connections with supportive family, friends, or mentors. Don’t hesitate to seek help or share your feelings with trusted people.
Connecting with empathetic and understanding people remind us that we are not alone in difficult times. The pain of traumatic events can lead some people to isolate themselves, but it’s important to accept help and support from those who care about you.
Self-Care
Put very simply, prioritise nutrition, exercise and good quality sleep. Engage in activities that bring you joy and relaxation, like hobbies, meditation, or reading. Minimise social media as it will just continue to condition and program you. Also be aware of all the negativity in the news, protect yourself. Avoid negative people and those that are always complaining.
Embrace healthy thoughts
Everything starts in the mind. How we think can play a significant part in how you feel. Identify areas of irrational thinking and those beliefs that no longer serve you well.
Accept change as part of life. It is inevitable. Imagine if everything remained the same. It would be very boring. Positive change tends to shake us up and can be exciting. If we can recognise such change, go with the flow and it can result in personal growth. Stay flexible and open to new possibilities when things don’t go as planned.
Learn to accept circumstances that cannot be changed and that you have little or no control over.
Reframe negative thoughts by finding silver linings in difficult situations.
Maintain a Positive Outlook
Always remember the things we are grateful for. As long as we are alive and physically and mentally healthy we can overcome our challenges. Visualise what it is you need rather than focusing too much on the fear.
Hopefully some of the above tools will help. If you would like to explore any of these topics please do not hesitate to contact us at www.holisticcounsellingireland.com.
