How To Build Resilience?

Resilience often is used in the context of bouncing back or adapting well in the face of adversity. While some people naturally have a positive outlook and cope with stressful situations, resilience is also a skill that can be learned. Below are 10 ways one could look at to build resilience.

1. Nurture yourself: Taking care of yourself by exercising regularly, having a healthy balanced diet, getting enough sleep, avoiding intake of substances and developing a hobby. Taking care of your own needs increases your sense of wellbeing and gives you the strength to face challenges.
2. Embrace change: Viewing stress and challenges in life as opportunities to learn and grow.
3. Build positive beliefs in your abilities: Consciously building a positive view of yourself and your ability to solve problems. Reminding yourself of your good qualities, strengthens and accomplishments.
4. Develop strong relationships: Having caring and supporting people around you who can help you cope with during stressful life events or crisis situations.
5. Develop problem-solving skills: Identifying ways that you think might work well for you for developing resilience such as making a list of potential ways you could solve a problem.
6. Seek help when in distress: Seeking help from someone whom you trust in times of distress or adversities. Counselling or therapy is also one way of building resilience.
7. Be self-aware: Paying more attention to your own feelings and thoughts and the world around you. Maintaining a personal diary or journal can help.
8. Set realistic goals: Viewing situations in a realistic way and setting reasonable goals to deal with problems.
9. Take steps to solve problems: Taking the necessary steps to resolve a crisis or a problem.
10. Find a sense of purpose in life: Having a sense of purpose can help in recovering from adversities, trauma, crisis or tragedy. Working for a cause, becoming involved in your community, cultivating spirituality, participating in activities or anything that brings meaning to your life

This article has been republished with permission from the Mental Health Matters- Wellbeing section of the White Swan Foundation's website.