Resilience is pivotal to your peace of mind

Having talked to so many home confined friends and relatives over voice and video calls these days, I have realized that no wonder this is a standstill mode for all of us. All we are talking about, reading and listening about is CORONAVIRUS only. But one thing which is not the same for everyone is the buoyancy to take up this crisis. The complications are identical for everyone out there but the charge that we as individuals are taking up to cope with the situation is different. I have heard many people being very positive and have a pragmatic approach towards it while others are getting depressed not because of the spread of the virus but of the fact that they have been home arrested because of this situation.

Though some people seem to remain calm in the face of this crisis while others appear to come foiled and disappointed. People who can keep their cool have what psychologists call Resilience or a boost up factor to cope up with any kind of hitch, misfortune and obstruction.

“Resilience is the ability to spring back quickly from all the troubles or strains and snap back to start anew.”

 Resilient people utilize their skills and strengths to survive all kinds of problems and challenges. In some people this resilience is built-in naturally and for others it can be developed through using various practices.

"Even in the face of crises, resilience allows people to mobilize the energy not just to subsist but to bloom and blossom."

According to many experts, resilience is quite common, and people are very capable of learning the skills that it takes to become more resilient.

There are various components of resilience:

• Holding Positive views of circumstances – What is needed here is to bring out the positive side of the issue because looking only at the negative things will keep creating troubles in our own mind. We need to keep ourselves self-motivated through a positive attitude amidst the crisis. The need of the hour is to restructure our views and thoughts. Instead of looking only at the adversities, we need to focus on ways to tackle the problem. For example, this crisis can be seen as a perfect time to be spent in with family doing group activities like gardening, cooking, playing with kids or maybe pursuing some hobbies like painting, writing, reading, etc. or upgrading your skill sets by taking up online courses. It is about diverting your mind away from the crisis and using your energy towards something more productive.
• Being a good communicator – We all know that this a tough time for the entire mankind. So instead of keeping every feeling inside your heart and keep yourself anxious and tormented, It is a good time to start speaking up and start communicating whatever fears you have in your mind with your Partner, Family and Friends. This can work magic on your mental health and bring a level of peace in your life which seems cemented as of now. Discussing things with other people gives you a new vision and ideas that might help you in dealing with the challenges better.
• Reposition your control – There is a strong belief that we get what we think. In this crisis let us all think that we have to fight this virus out with all our vitality and fortitude. It is easy to blame external factors for all that is happening around but what is needed is some more patience from our side by being happily self-quarantined and self-composed. We cannot portray ourselves as victims to these external things rather we have to position ourselves as pugilists and fighters. So instead of wishing there was some way out and you could change things, try focussing on things that are in your control. Even in these critical times, take realistic small steps like planning your full-day activities can improve your sense of command and resilience in your life.
• Developing high emotional intelligence – Emotional intelligence includes three things - being self-aware of one’s own emotions, considering the situation before being reactive to it and being able to put ourselves in other people’s positions.  An emotionally strong person would know the intensity of the problem that prevails outside and instead of getting panic attacks he will find out ways to tackle the situation by keeping himself busy in different activities.

Being resilient is not an activity that can be achieved overnight but through constant practice we can get better at it with time. We can gradually build this skill in our daily life through various ways and means including a positive attitude, having a strong correspondence of thoughts, and reassuring ourselves that things will be better very soon.

“Moving towards resilience, Start nurturing yourself because that’s the best we can invest in !”

Swati Jain

??(Life Coach)