Mentally strong people realise change is inevitable. They embrace it, believing in their ability to roll with the punches and adapt (self-efficacy). They may not love the changes, but they lean in and move forward.
Try practicing the following things to improve your resilience:
Strengthen emotional intelligence/awareness
Grit has evolved beyond the notion of ‘sucking it up.’ Instead of suppressing emotions, resilience is regularly acknowledging your emotions throughout the day, and understanding how they influence your thought patterns and behaviour. The best outcome often requires behaving in opposition to your immediate emotional response.
Feeling like you might melt into a puddle? It’s perfectly ok to have that emotion. The key is to stop, pause and respond appropriately vs knee-jerk reaction.
Be realistically optimistic
Combine optimism with a healthy dose of reality and approach situations with a lens of openness, and for some instances, gratitude. Wearing rose-coloured glasses may result in unmet expectations and unrealistic perceptions.
Additionally, negative self-talk often derails attempts at reaching goals. Reframe perceived ‘failures’ as valuable learning experiences, confront your toxic coach, forgive yourself for mistakes, and become your most enthusiastic supporter.
Avoid wallowing
Life is rife with challenges. The popular saying “no use crying over spilled milk” endures for a reason – it holds truth. Dwelling on past events, whether personal or professional, doesn’t benefit you or the project at hand. It anchors you in the past.
Find healthy outlets to release pent-up energy and avoid indulging in self-pity. Put an end to repetitive ‘if only’ conversations, and instead, take responsibility for moving forward.
People-pleasing
Attempting to please everyone is a futile endeavour – embrace saying “no” to avoid over-committing. Develop a discerning approach to prioritise considerations over a futile quest for universal approval.
Take accountability
Create an internal locus-of-control. Take ownership of your situation and be non-negotiable on what is, or isn’t, acceptable to you, rather than letting external sources influence your mood and behaviour.
Practice humility
Acknowledging personal areas for improvement is an integral aspect of building resilience. Self-assessing and admitting weaknesses, assuming responsibility, and embracing a willingness to learn, are demonstrations of humility. Strength lies in recognising that your way may not always be the best way.
Step back, regroup, seek assistance if necessary, and be open to altering your course.
Recognise ruts
Sometimes the best way to counteract burnout is to immerse yourself in something brand new. Whether you undertake a painting class, meet new people, or try something completely unconventional, these endeavours can serve as a rejuvenating break to recalibrate focus and dismantle any subconscious self-limiting beliefs.
. . . And remember. You’ve been challenged many times before, in many different ways, and got back up again. Remembering how we have dealt with previous challenges provides the resilience to step into upcoming challenges again.