Five Ways to Boost Your Emotional and Psychological Resilience

You’ve probably heard the word “resilience” pop up more often recently—and for good reason. With so much uncertainty and change in the world around us during the past couple of years, many people—young and old— have been struggling with high-stress levels.

So, what is it that makes some people seem relatively calm and collected when faced with adversity, while others become completely overwhelmed?

It’s the degree of emotional and psychological resilience they have.

We checked in with Tana Amen, whose newest book The Relentless Courage of a Scared Child is filled with insights on how to cultivate resilience. Here are a few highlights…

“When serious stressors, crises, and trauma occur, resilient people can recover more quickly and adapt to the changing circumstances more easily. This doesn’t mean they don’t experience emotional pain and distress about bad situations, but rather they employ helpful thought patterns and behaviors that support them as they go through difficult times.

“When serious stressors, crises, and trauma occur, resilient people can recover more quickly and adapt to the changing circumstances more easily. This doesn’t mean they don’t experience emotional pain and distress about bad situations, but rather they employ helpful thought patterns and behaviors that support them as they go through difficult times.

5 Ways to Increase Your Emotional and Psychological Resilience 

If you follow me, you know it goes without saying that keeping your brain balanced with a healthy diet and regular exercise are foundational for managing your stress, especially when challenges arise. However, building resilience takes additional effort, so here are 5 things you can start practicing now…

1. Use your ability to respond.
Sometimes things happen to you that are no fault of your own, and though you cannot change what occurred, you can take responsibility for what you do afterwards. This is important because it keeps you from staying in “victim mode,” especially when someone or something has threatened or harmed you. By using your ability to respond, you empower yourself.

2. Identify what you can control, and what you cannot.
One way so many people elevate their stress level is by focusing—or even obsessing—about the things outside of their control. Worrying endlessly about some uncertainty sends you down the rabbit hole of fear. Instead of doing that, focus on what you can control each day, even if it’s just little things.

3. Don’t weather the storm alone.
When you’re faced with something difficult, not only is it okay to reach out to others, it’s also healthier for you. The support we get from people we trust helps to bolster our resilience and reduce the chances we’ll get emotionally overwhelmed and have a hard time coping. We are so much better together.

4.  Stop catastrophizing.
When a stressful situation arises, people with a pessimistic mindset or who struggle with anxiety can’t stop thinking about the worst-case scenario. This is not helpful. If you tend to do this, it’s time to reality-check your worries by questioning your thoughts with this technique from Byron Katie. Ask yourself:

• Is it true?
• Is it really true, with 100% certainty?
• How do you feel when you have this fearful thought?
• How would you feel if you didn’t have this thought? 

5. Make time for your spiritual side.
Some folks find inner strength through their connection with God or higher power, while others experience solace with meditation, yoga, or by spending time in nature. Whatever your sense of spirituality is, being regularly in touch with the peace it brings you is known to increase resilience in challenging times.

Practice Makes Progress

As with any type of personal growth, boosting your resilience requires effort. For many people it also means releasing unhelpful habits, like runaway ANTs (automatic negative thoughts), drowning your troubles in sugar or alcohol, or choosing to feel helpless in an effort to get someone to do the heavy lifting for you.

But just like you build muscle with regular exercise, being intentional about becoming more resilient to cope better with life’s stressors is so worth the everyday effort it needs.

It won’t cost you a dime, but the payoff is priceless.”

We’re thankful for these insights from our dear friend and colleague Tana Amen. It’s very hopeful to know that resilience can be cultivated and that small steps of responding in new ways can really add up.

The best part is we don’t need to go it alone, as we are always so much stronger together. We pray a few of these practices weave their way into your life and add a layer of hope in the process.

Blessings,
Dee, Sean and the team