Are You Resilient?
As the pandemic stretches on, our collective ability to weather adversities and bounce back to emotional stability is being challenged daily. Many of us have suffered significant trauma from illness, hospitalization and death. Many more have experienced job loss, economic uncertainty and financial instability. And everyone has had to cope with an unprecedented uprooting of social and emotional support networks.
Are we, as human beings, built to withstand such pressures? The answer is yes. Here are some of the top traits and behaviors resilient people used to survive the worst life had to throw at them -- and thrive.
Strive to be positive:
Having a positive mindset - being forward thinking, is something we need to pay attention to. If you want to know how your day was yesterday, think about how you feel today; if you want to know how your body will feel tomorrow, think about what your thoughts are today.
Learn from your challenges:
By having challenges in your life in which you have been successful, you can use that experience in dealing with your present traumatic situation. If you endured exploitative or toxic work cultures, use that energy to create new ones.
Have role models as resilience:
Identifying people that you can admire for their perseverance in overcoming challenges, even traumatic ones, is another key trait in people who are resilient. It can be a family member, friend, teacher, pastor, community leader -- the list is endless. You don't even have to have met these people to learn from their example.
Find your moral center:
Having a moral compass is important. As Mark Twain said, “you can't go wrong by doing the right thing." A moral center can go hand in hand with religion, a sense of spirituality, or a sense of oneness with the world.
Have a sense of purpose:
For those of you reading this who struggle to find their purpose… …don’t stop - it’s never too late! Having a passion or purpose in life is important to developing resilience. This requires being intentional about your thoughts and envisioning using your strengths to your advantage.
Use humor
Humor can be very helpful during times of serious stress. Having a sense of humor means you are more likely to be able to perceive things in new, different and creative ways. This is an indication of a growth-mindset or a positive mindset.
Foster flexibility
You can build your resilience muscles by practicing flexibility, which is the ability to use different tools and techniques to overcome a challenge. Make this a daily practice. With the emphasis on consistency, we can break old habits and even create new ones.
