No matter who you are and what your day-to-day looks like, it’s a given that stress, negativity, and uncertainty flourish in the world around us. While the factors outside of ourselves and our home may put unnecessary stress on our lives, it’s incredibly important to continue to find stability. One very important tool to help achieve this, within all of the chaos, is emotional resilience.
According to Elizabeth Scott of Verywell Mind, emotional resilience refers to a person’s ability to adapt to stressful situations and crises. The more resilient you are, the less likely stress is to have lasting effects on your wellbeing.
A key aspect of this definition of resilience is that the effects of stress aren’t long-lasting. Even the most resilient people in the world still experience stressful situations and can feel the effects of that stress at the moment! But the difference is that resilience kicks in as you process and respond to the stress.
Traits of emotionally resilient people include:
1. Perseverance: Resilient people are not discouraged by change or failure, and instead continue to adapt and push forward.
2. Sense of Control: When resilient people assess a stressful situation, they can decipher what they can and cannot control and act accordingly.
3. Strong Social Connections: Even the most resilient of people need strong support systems to thrive.
It is also important to remember resilience is all about your mindset. And the mind is a muscle! This means that with intentional work, you can increase your emotional resilience.
Not sure if you have a strong emotional resilience muscle? Here are some tips for increasing your emotional resilience:
1. Build and foster close relationships.
Surrounding yourself with positive people that have similar experiences is a great start to gaining the support needed for growth.
2. Remember that change is inevitable and necessary.
Setbacks and change are constant in every aspect of life, and the only way to persevere is through processing, accepting, and adapting.
3. Maintain your sense of humor.
As stressful and difficult as life can seem, it’s important to still experience joy, laugh, and not take things too seriously!
4. Prioritize self-care.
By eating well, remaining active, and avoiding unhealthy coping mechanisms, you can help your body become physically able to handle the stress that comes your way.
While we cannot control the negativity and stress the outside world throws our way, we can be intentional in our response to those negative influences. Emotional resilience allows you to persevere in hardship and find your pocket of peace and joy in even the most strenuous times!
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