Be Resilient
- Grant Maserow
- Apr 14, 2020
- 3 min read
It goes without saying that these are very trying and testing times. Lockdown has been extended by two weeks. People who are very sociable are finding it exceptionally difficult to be confined or restricted in their movement. We are social beings, and wherever you fall on the spectrum of sociability, you still need human interaction. Less interaction with work colleagues, community, friends and extended family is having a psychological and emotional impact on all of us. In addition to our disrupted routines, new distractions have wormed their way into our lives. Having to work from home when one is usually in an office environment can be difficult. Not going to gym, when you are a regular, can affect one’s mood and well-being. So what is there to say when every day feels like “Ground Hog Day”? It is up to you to BE RESILIENT.
Resilience is defined as the ability to bounce back from hardships. To emerge stronger would be even better. The speed and the strength of the recovery determine your level of resilience. How can you be resilient through these times and emerge stronger? I suggest three tools. They are: perspective, attitude and gratitude. Becoming resilient takes effort, so take the time to see if there are other tools that also work for you.
Perspective
From what perspective are you looking at your circumstances? The glass being half full or half empty can start to sound clichéd, however, deliberately recognising all the small victories and achievements in your day positions your brain to recognise more positivity. This, in turn, has an impact on your mood. Wouldn’t you prefer to have a more positive mood? Sensitising your thoughts to positive prospects and results shifts your focus. This is already a win.
Attitude
Attitude can take some work. By keeping your thoughts in check and training yourself to focus more on the positives, this shifts you toward a reward state, rather than a threat state. This has an impact on your emotions, thereby keeping you happy. Of course we are human and we are emotional beings, so when we do feel threatened or down, it is important to acknowledge our feelings. By burying or ignoring our feelings, does not make them disappear, but rather allows them to build up like plaque, inside of us. Acknowledging our feelings, but refusing them the power to determine the outcome of our day, not only builds our resilience, but gives us an increasing sense of personal strength. Our attitude can make us feel stronger.
Gratitude
People always say we should practice gratitude. We get so caught up on the word gratitude that we ignore the word “practice”. That is the key. Gratitude must be PRACTICED. This is a daily, deliberate action to be done in order to become good at it. What can you be grateful for? I would suggest not just identifying it, but feeling it too. Attach a deep, meaningful emotion to what you are grateful for and FEEL IT daily. If you can strengthen your feeling of gratitude on a daily basis, it becomes more difficult to for things to weigh you down. If or when they do, they also don’t keep you down for long.
Recognising your daily, weekly and monthly achievements, having a sense of reward and being grateful for all you have, certainly has a huge impact on your resilience in these challenging times. You will know that you have the ability to overcome so much. You will take on challenges and you will emerge stronger. Fight the battle with your strengths and use these strengths to build on each other to emerge even stronger. Be resilient.
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