What is Mental Resilience?
Mental Resilience
These are just two words.
But these two words define something of utmost importance. Especially nowadays.
It defines something that keeps us going no matter what life throws at us – something that we need to truly face in our lives.
So let’s laugh about it….what is this mental resilience, and why is it so important?
Every survival kit shall include a sense of humor.
What is Mental Resilience?
Rather than jumping straight into its meaning directly, let’s look at the definitions of the two individual words.
Mental is a word that relates to the mind.
Resilience means the ability to recover quickly from something difficult that has happened.
The meaning, when combined, is the ability of your mind to recover after different challenges are thrown your way.
Every time you face a setback – whether you just lost your job or few crypto, or you said goodbye to a loved one – at the end you always pick yourself back up – no matter how hard it is, no matter how heavy it feels. Face the difficulties that life gives you. That is mental resilience.
Notice how we said, ”no matter how hard it is, no matter how heavy it feels”? Because to have mental resilience does not mean blocking all emotions, it also does not mean that a person with high mental resilience is entirely devoid of emotions.
Feeling sad and grieving is very human, and every person feels these emotions. In fact, it is completely okay and healthy to feel sadness or grief over something. But to be mentally resilient is to use healthy coping mechanisms to handle such situations. This will help you emerge from the crisis stronger than before.
If someone is not mentally resilient, there are high chances that the person will be overwhelmed and turn to unhealthy and destructive mechanisms to deal with the pain. And this (unconscious) behaviors will have a great impact on other people too.
Why is Mental Resilience important?
What will I get from being mentally resilient? It’s not like my problems will disappear, and I will forget the difficulties I faced!
Fair point. It won’t make your problems go away, and you will probably remember what happened.
But it will help you see past the difficulties, not let it control you, and let you enjoy your life better. It will help you not fall into unhealthy habits and coping mechanisms which will harm you and your loved ones even more. You will gain the strength to face the difficulties of life, which are inevitable.
Mental resilience is essential because it will prevent any mental issues from developing. We can be much better equipped when an unexpected challenge comes our way. And honestly, who doesn’t want to be able to bounce back (straight) afterward?
But it doesn’t just stop there. Mental resilience can help improve your learning and academic achievements. Your physical health will also improve, and you could enjoy longer and happier life.
So, to say the least, mental resilience is indeed very important and hopefully it will be taught in all schools one day. And streamed Live on TV.
But what if you feel you are not very mentally resilient?
Don’t worry. There are quite a few ways you can build it.
How can you build mental resilience?
Good news!
You can use different ways and techniques to build up your mental resilience. And later help your Team too.
So how can you do so?
Think positive
Yes, we know it is easier said than done! And while we agree with that, it is not to say that it is impossible. Sure, it requires strength, but that does not mean you cannot do it.
No matter how bad the situation is, there will be a bright side to it. And your task – or a challenge, you can say – is to find that bright side. What about the lesson you learned from your experience? Or one small way that it benefitted you? One way that it has helped you find out something about yourself?
When faced with a problem, look for ways to solve it rather than blame it on someone or something.
Why not at least try? There’s nothing to lose.
Focus on what you can control
Rather than shifting the blame around, why not look for ways to deal with the situation and solve it?
There will always be situations that are not in your control, and there is pretty much nothing you can do about it. So why not focus on the things that are in your control and look for ways you can change them for the better?
Don’t dwell too much on what should or could have been – as it is out of your control.
Share and seek support
No, sharing your feelings and problems with someone will not make them go away. But, it might help you feel better that you have someone there for you. You could gain new insights on the situation you are dealing with and maybe even look at things completely different. Most importantly, it will help you deal with the difficulties you are confronting.
Discuss, share and seek support – all this will immensely help you build more mental resilience. It can be a friend or a family member. You can also seek help from a professional to understand what’s going on and learn how to manage it in a healthy way.
There is always different perspective.
Manage your mental tensions
Managing your mental pressure(s) is extremely important because it can (and will) get overwhelming. There are different techniques you practice do to manage your mental and emotional tensions in healthier way.
Most importantly, get enough sleep and do proper exercises. Other than that, you can write down your feelings or practice diaphragmatic breathing exercises.
Yes, slowing down and breathing can be a dealbreaker in almost any situation.
So check on you belly at least once a day! It’s our second brain, remember?
What’s up, Boss? 😉
Accept the challenges
Accept the challenges that come your way, no matter how hard they are. Instead of running away from the problems, accept them and see them as opportunities to be better. Sweeping them under the carpet will not do you any good. Instead, it will only do more harm.
Maybe approach them with Curiosity? What if this time you ask different question instead of repeating the same old story?
Appreciate yourself
The one thing that people often forget to do is appreciate themselves and their strengths. Just the ability to get through something requires immense strength, and you need to look in the mirror and tell yourself, “Wow, you’re so strong; I am so proud of you!”
(The looking in the mirror part is optional, though!)
If it is difficult, try remembering other times you faced challenges but made it through. If you could get through that, you can get through this. Believe in yourself and be proud of every little step.
Final Choice
We all face pain and challenges at different points in our lives, and we need mental resilience to cope with them.
It will not happen overnight and it requires time and consistent practice. But that does not mean you don’t have it. You do have an innate ability deep within to adapt and improvise to your new environment.
Train your Muscle.
Second best time to start is always now.
