Certain circumstances may leave you feeling on edge, such as an abrupt change or loss. Since the pandemic, people have experienced more nervousness and anxiety due to increased uncertainty about their current situation. People may not understand how they should respond when overwhelmed with emotion. Building emotional resilience encourages healthy behaviors to help you cope when things become stressful. It puts your mind at ease and things in perspective to promote productive actions and behaviors.
Emotional Resilience Defined
Emotional resilience is developing strength from within to empower yourself to cope with unwanted emotions. Life is filled within letdowns and unwanted blows. Things are well one minute and quickly go south the next. The key is to accept things as they happen and learn how to rise above the pain to see what is possible.
Emotional resilient people share specific characteristics that help them get through challenges differently than others. They understand they are not victims of what happened and take responsibility for their actions, whether good or bad. They realize they have choices and take time to access them before taking action. They know the significance of being in control and what they can control.
Emotional resilient people are aware of their thoughts and actions. They practice self-awareness by understanding the physical signals of their mind and body. They are aware of when something doesn’t feel right, and they can shift their way of thinking to obtain focus or their center. They know the significance of perseverance and willing to do what is necessary to achieve success. A setback is an opportunity to improve, and they learn how to trust their abilities.
In difficult situations, emotionally resilient people find what is positive and use it to be optimistic. They believe they have the strength to get through it, avoiding the feeling of feeling helpless. It helps possess a mindset able to shift from fear to empowerment to make decisions.
Ways to Build Resilience
Building resilience requires practice and patience. It is a skill that can make a difference in how you face challenges and uncertainty. Effective ways provide protection against anxiety. Overcome emotional stress using the following tips.
1. Keep your mind on what you can control
When in situations of uncertainty, it is crucial to remember what you can control. It affects how you interpret the problem and how you respond to it. Maintain a daily routine, including your priorities and responsibilities to build and maintain structure. Stay grounded with goals and milestones to achieve during the day. Such actions also create positive emotions, along with a sense of control.
2. Seek meaning
You may find meaning in stressful situations by taking a moment to look for it. When faced with a problem out of your control, instead of letting fear take over, consider looking deeper. You may learn more about yourself and how the world around you changes as a result. Finding meaning helps acknowledge what you are feeling to confront assumptions. As you search more in-depth, it may help you see how you can move forward through the challenge productively.
3. Engage in regular exercise and physical activity
Resilience helps the mind gain mental strength. Physical exercise helps the brain produce hormones crucial to fighting stress. You promote positive feelings that are beneficial to your wellbeing. Mixing physical activity with relaxation techniques help minimize emotional and physical stress. You can be creative as you want with activities from walking, biking, or workouts. Make the time spent enjoyable to encourage yourself to keep the habit going.
4. Focus on the present
Practicing techniques such as mindfulness and meditation help you stay focused in the moment. Sometimes it helps with seeing possible outcomes to a situation that’s not obvious. It enables you to take things with perspective instead of speculating or focusing on the worst-case scenario. You can channel your energy toward being productive instead of allowing negative thoughts to take over.
5. Get in good company
Surround yourself with people that like you for who you are. Be with people that give positive energy. Think about people you know who inspire and want what is best for you. They should be part of your support system when you need to talk. People with uplifting energy make it easier for you to bounce back when things don’t go your way.
6. Don’t be afraid to ask for help
When times get difficult, know your options. Besides talking to friends and family, consider a support group with peers that can relate. Talk to a therapist or counselor through online therapy or online counseling like BetterHelp. Having someone you can turn to, it makes facing challenges easier.
7. Embrace your fears and learn from failures
Fear can hold you back. Learn how to use fear to help you move forward by confronting it. As you embrace it, it enables you to gain emotional strength, especially since the feeling of fear is temporary. Like fear, failure is a part of life. Some think you should celebrate it instead of allowing it to turn into anxiety and shame. Failure is simply a mistake that shows you were willing to take a risk. It means you tried, and you learned not to do such actions again.
Building emotional resilience includes tapping inner strength that empowers you. Instead of giving up when things don’t go your way, look for ways to keep the spark going by believing in yourself.
