Life is hard, and it’s not uncommon to experience setbacks, go through struggles, or just feel overwhelmed with stress sometimes.
You might even find yourself going through major moments where it feels like you’re getting knocked down over and over. But it’s what you do to get back up that matters. Sometimes, that can seem easier said than done.
That’s where resiliency comes into play.
Being resilient is something you’re born with. But how you experience traumatic events, will determine how resilient you can be. It’s a learned characteristic over time, and it can be either weakened or strengthened by how you perceive experiences you go through. Thankfully, there are also things you can do to become more resilient in life at any stage. If you’re looking for resiliency and a way to stand back up when life tries to knock you down, keep these tips in mind.
1. Increase Your Own Awareness
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) actually puts a heavy focus on resiliency because it allows you to increase your self-awareness and connect to your beliefs and feelings. You can get to the underlying reasons you feel the way you do and handle those emotions by changing your cycle of thinking.
Having a deeper understanding of yourself makes it easy to feel stronger, no matter what life throws at you.
2. Find Your Purpose
It’s easy to stay knocked down when you feel like you don’t have a reason to get up again. Finding your purpose and something to strive for will help you realize that you can (and should) keep fighting back against hardships and negative situations.
It’s all about keeping your mindset fixed on that goal or something you already have and don’t want to lose.
3. Adopt a Positive Mindset
Being more positive about things can make it easier to bounce back after a blow. While it might often feel easier to think negatively and claim your situations as unfair, those thoughts will only keep you down, rather than allowing you to take another chance. Thinking positively will break the cycle of negative thinking and give you the energy to continue moving forward.
4. Shift Your Attitude on Change
Change happens. Sometimes you can control it. Sometimes, things happen that are completely out of your grasp. It’s important to embrace both to be more resilient.
Far too often, fighting against change can make you weaker, especially when you’re trying to control things you can’t. Instead, focus on the things you can control, work on them, and accept what you don’t have control over. Accepting them forces you to find a way to work through them, rather than letting them take over your life.
5. Take Care of Yourself
Resilience starts with self-care. When you feel your best, you’re going to be stronger mentally and physically. Take care of yourself by exercising, eating a nutritious diet, practicing mindfulness, and finding ways to de-stress. The stronger you are, inside and out, the less likely it is life’s negative situations will keep you down for long.
6. Understand that You’re Not Alone
It’s harder to be resilient when you feel like you’re fighting on your own. When you’re struggling to pick yourself back up, lean on friends, family, or even a support group to help you through it. When you know that you have a built-in system of people willing to help you in your times of need, it’s easier to bounce back and keep moving forward, no matter what.
7. Learn From Mistakes
When you fail at something or make a mistake, dwelling on it can cause you to stay down in a sea of negative thinking. Some of the most successful people in the world had huge failures to deal with in their lives. So, what made them so great?
They learned from their mistakes and used them to grow.
Even when something doesn’t go as planned, don’t think of yourself as a failure. Learning to grow from your mistakes and turn them into something better is one of the ultimate displays of resilience. That, combined with the other tips listed here, can pick you back up and let you truly see the strength you have to get through life’s hardships.
