Life is always going to throw challenges at us and, of course, the more we try to control our lives, the more stressful things seem to get. Now, while many people talk about ‘stress management’, I prefer not to – as we can’t ‘manage’ the stressors that we encounter, as they are simply going to happen, regardless. However, we can healthily adapt our response to those situations that would otherwise push us off track. We have so much more control over our responses to stressors than we may realise – and, thankfully, this is something that we can actually train and improve. Here are my top five proven-to-work resilience strategies:
1. Laugh often, be optimistic and find meaning
People who are resilient have a sense of meaning in their lives, they also tend to be realistically optimistic and can often see the funny side of things and they don’t take themselves too seriously. Find opportunities to cultivate meaningful (to you) activities and laugh whenever you can – whether you are alone, watching your favourite comedy, or socialising with friends.
2. Build your social connections
Asking for help is a sign of strength in a resilient person. They readily seek support, advice and encouragement from others when times are tough. Try to find groups of people who have similar interests to yours – who are happy to work together towards common goals.
3 Be mindful and self-aware
Resilient people, knowingly or unknowingly, practice the concept of mindfulness – being present in the moment. This keeps them connected to what is important to them in their lives. Begin a mindfulness practice to gain insight, psychological poise and clarity.
4. Prioritise health and wellbeing
Resilient people attribute importance to being physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually fit. Make a point of consistently following daily healthy habits that nurture and strength your health and wellbeing. See my YouTube channel for ideas to develop a ‘morning routine’ for example.
5. Practise gratitude
By dwelling on happy thoughts and events for which we are grateful, new neural networks grow which help us to become measurably happier, overall.
To lead a resilient life you have to overcome the pain, the adversity and the unpredictable challenges that life throws at you. It is not an easy journey, but just putting a few of these ideas into practice, you’ll find that your ‘bounce-backability’ will grow. For more resilience ideas see Jayney Goddard’s YouTube channel: youtube.com/JayneyGoddardCMA
Jayney Goddard is president of the Complementary Medical Association. Find out more at the-cma.org.uk. Sign up for Jayney’s 21-Day Rewind Plan and track your own biological age progression at JayneyGoddard.com
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