4 Strategies To Build Resilience & Find Peace In Stressful Times
Building resilience can help you manage challenges in your life and thrive during uncertainty.
getty How can you stay calm and positive when you are presented daily with catastrophic news of the coronavirus spreading, the unemployment of our workforce, and the distress of our world economies?
It feels like a tall order. However, it is possible to find peace during challenging times by learning how to build resilience in your daily life.
By using techniques of resilience, you gain the ability to "bounce back" and live your life the way you want and deserve.
Here are 4 strategies for building resilience and find peace in stressful times.
1. Know that this too shall pass.
Remember that everyone has challenging times in their life when things do not go as planned — a family member falls ill, a relationship ends, your employment is terminated, or a natural disaster occurs.
The list is endless and adversity does not discriminate. There are no guarantees in life. Understanding this can help us weather the hard times when we encounter them.
Remind yourself that because we are human, there will be painful experiences and suffering, as well as extraordinary moments and profound joy. There is a balance and equilibrium, just as there is in nature.
No one is exempt from adversity and each challenge makes us stronger and more resilient. The hard times won’t last forever.
Change in life is inevitable, which means that nothing lasts forever. Understanding that is key to being able to see the rainbow at the end of the storm.
Happy, more content times will return — things never stay the same.
2. Seek out the positive and be grateful.
A key component of resilience is focusing attention on the good things that are happening, rather than just focusing on the negative and your challenging situation.
Challenge yourself to see positive things in your life, such as the kindness of strangers, what you still have in your life, or perhaps the support of family members.
Search for the positive story, create an upbeat environment, repeat a healthy habit, and reinforce positive behavior.
Everyone has something that they can be thankful for even in our darkest moments, we just need to dig deeper.
Identify these moments of gratitude and communicate them. Our brains are hardwired to see threats in our environment and focus on the worst possible scenario, so we need to retrain it to focus on what is going well.
Resilient people make a conscious effort to seek out the good. Ask yourself, daily, "What three things went well today? What am I grateful for?"
3. Know what you can control and let go of the rest.
Assess what you have control over and take action on those things; whether it be applying for a new job, taking a walk every day, or reaching out to friends when you feel isolated.
We always have a choice. Resilient people take action on things that they can change, rather than cursing their bad luck.
Knowing that no, you can’t change how long the coronavirus affects us as a nation, but you do have control over things that improve your mood, such as exercising or starting a daily meditation practice.
Resilient people know that they are ultimately responsible for their destiny, and as such, they depend on their ability to take action, rather than remain passive.
Tough times call for you to tap into your own sense of personal responsibility. No one will hand you the job unless you apply.
4. Keep things in perspective and try to see things in a new light.
The ability to look at a situation in a new way — a skill called "re-framing" — can minimize the impact of a difficult situation.
Resilient people take a creative approach toward solving a problem and don’t always use an old solution for a new challenge.
Your job may be different than you would like, but what could the benefits be?
Perhaps, working from home allows you more time to spend time with your family or work on your cooking skills now that you can prep meals?
Practicing these skills can help you foster the ability to get through adversity and rise to meet the challenges you are being faced with.
While facing uncertainty and change are not easy, we have the ability to get through tough times and come out on the other side, stronger and all the wiser for it.
You’ve got this!
Monica Ramunda, MA, LPC, LCMHC, RPT-S is a licensed counselor in both Colorado and North Carolina and a registered play therapist supervisor. She offers online therapy, teletherapy, and in-person sessions for clients and teaches resiliency skills. Reach out if you need support during these challenging times.