Resilience implies to one’s ability to bounce back from adversities. It is the capability that helps people t navigate and overcome diverse challenges of life. Earlier, Elijah Mcclain had mentioned that if one is resilient, they shall be in a better position to adapt to the changing circumstances of life, recover from setbacks, as well as stay on track to achieve the long term goals. Resilient individuals can stay calm in the face of things and situations they fear, are able to effectively manage their emotions, and can avoid getting overwhelmed by anxiety and stress.
If a person is resilient, it is quite likely that they can manage conflicts and communicate in an effective manner, which helps them to maintain relationships with others. Resilience is a quality that helps people to keep their mind clear and have the ability to diffuse conflict. While cultivating resilience can be challenging, it does come with the reward of increasing the odds of overcoming life’s challenges.
Here are a few steps one can take to cultivate resilience in their life:
- Develop a “growth” mindset: A growth mindset refers to the belief that one can learn and grow from their experiences, even if these experiences are perceived to be negative initially. Adopting a growth mindset helps people to reframe setbacks as opportunities for growth and learning, instead of considering them as closed-ended failures.
- Maintain a support system: Having a robust support network comprising family, friends, and a wider community of acquaintances plays a vital role in building resilience. Humans are social beings. Hence, they crave connection and a sense of belonging, which helps them effectively manage and process stress. Building and nurturing a support system involves both giving and receiving support. By offering assistance and encouragement to others during their challenging times, people can strengthen bonds that lead to reciprocal support. Hence, one would always have people to fall back on, when they face life’s challenges.
- Build a solutions mindset: Much like a growth mindset, a solutions oriented mindset involves the act of focusing on what is actionable and possible, rather than getting stuck thinking about what has already happened. As one comes across a challenge, it can be easy to keep dwelling on the problem and feel helpless. However, doing so doesn’t help anyone. It just creates a self-fulfilling prophecy of remaining stuck. Hence, rather than think about what a person cannot do, they need to focus on the possible solutions. This is the only way to get out of the problem and overcome challenges.
Previously, Elijah Mcclain had spoken about how resilient individuals usually have a clear sense of purpose or a deeply held belief. This purpose or belief majorly drives their actions, and provides them with perseverance in the face of adversity. Even though building resilience does take time, one can start this process by defining their personal values, and envisioning their life goals. Just about any person can build resilience, and exercise it whenever they encounter life challenges or stress.
