The power of Resilience and its Impact.

“The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall” – Nelson Mandela

The dictionary gives us: Resilience is the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness.

Resilience is the process of growing stronger through overcoming the difficulties of life. When we are resilient, we withstand change, hardships, and even tragedy. We look for opportunities to become better rather than bitter. When we think of someone who is resilient, we may be quick to imagine a person who is determined, courageous and confident. While these are certainly valuable traits, positivity and balance are just as important

The most challenging situations in life are the ones involving change, especially negative change. Resilience helps us deal with change because resilience is, in a word, flexibility. When we are resilient, we are malleable like a copper wire—able to undergo change and stress without breaking. When we lack resilience, we are brittle like a piece of glass or cast iron. Strength is good, but adaptability helps us move forward after the storm has passed—or while we are in its midst.

Some might be more naturally resilient than others, but we can all strengthen our resolve. True resilience comes from our perspective. Charles Hunt says, “Sometimes we need to tell ourselves what to think when our mind starts telling us things that we don’t need to hear.” Our viewpoint on life is what helps us deal with change and difficulties. When we creatively explore the possibilities and focus on the positive, we can persevere and overcome almost anything.

We may not realize it, but we practice resilience every day. The choice to take care of ourselves and others, take on tasks or projects, deal with people, make financial decisions—each of these can be hard and requires perseverance. Nursing studies have identified several key actions in building resilience. Maintaining a positive attitude helps us deal with stress. Building relationships with family, friends and co-workers gives us support. While we may want to push people away during adversity, we are stronger with others than we can ever be alone. Finally, establishing a sense of purpose in our lives anchors us during hardships and strengthens our positive emotions. When we can name our reason to get up in the morning, we’ll see purpose in everything we do.

Hope is a necessary ingredient in resilience. If we have no hope, we have no reason to hold on when things get hard. We’ll find it difficult to bounce back once we’ve been knocked down. The choice to hope that something good will happen, the choice to move forward when we don’t know exactly why or how we should do it, is what makes us resilient.

How will practicing Resilience help you?

1.    You will respond better to challenging situations. Instead of making rash decisions or lashing out at people, you will think things through and reach out to others for support.

2.    You will be healthier both, emotionally and physically. Stress takes a toll on your body and puts you in a reactive state, encouraging a bad attitude. Resilience will help you deal with your stress in productive ways.

3.    You will be more productive. Discouragement from failure can hold you ransom and keep you from moving forward. When you are resilient, you can deal with the setbacks in life and keep working toward your potential.

4.    You will be more flexible. Resilience will help you adapt to change and take control of your attitude and reactions. 

5.    You will increase your joy. You will have a more optimistic outlook during difficult times. Even when you don’t have a good reason to be happy, you will hold on to a sense of purpose 

Three simple steps you can take to become more resilient:

1.    Reflect. Keep a journal and think about what you’re going through and your reaction to the situation. The more you understand your emotions and habits, the easier it will be to come up with ways to deal with your struggles.

2.    Prioritize your well-being. Eat healthy, get lots of sleep and make time for activities that are physically or mentally nurturing for you, such as exercising, reading a book or spending time with someone you enjoy. 

3.    Hold onto hope. It doesn’t always make sense to keep hoping. Sometimes it seems like nothing is going right. When this happens, visualize what is important to you or what you are working toward. Opening your mind to possibilities gives your brain creative space to develop a solution. It is better to cling to hope than to fall to despair. Even when you feel you have no control over a situation, the choice to hope will always make you stronger. 

Some clear health benefits of resilience:

Coping with stress in a positive way is known as resilience, and it has many health benefits. It's associated with longevity, lower rates of depression, and greater satisfaction with life. "There's a sense of control, and it helps people feel more positive in general.

Hopefully, you now have a better insight into resilience and what it is. With the simple steps above, you can start to build yours today.

Remember, nothing happens by chance, it happens by choice.

When it concerns your self-Care, just make sure it is your choice!

Jan Robberts

?This is the link to the video of this article: https://youtu.be/cixVztn8JHg