By now, its easy to see that thenew coronaviruspandemic brought with it a wave of secondary crises.
Some of us have lost loved ones and jobs.
Weve struggled in isolation without guidance onhow to cope.
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Were uncertain about what the future holdsor how well even get there.
To be honest, resilience is one of those psychological concepts that are hard to define.
But, he notes, that opens up a few rabbit holes: Whats the definition of well here?
Or even in the face of?
How do we know when resilience has run out and when its succeeding?
Maybe its when we still have hope.
Maybe its the absence of regret.
Maybe its the ability to look back and see what weve overcome.
Maybe its when we get through something with our minds reasonably intact.
you’re free to read more about how experts define resiliencehere.
One thing the experts I talked to agree on is what resilienceisnt.
But resilience is like a muscle you’re free to build over time.
With practice and dedication, anybody can become more resilient.
Lets talk about how.
First, what does it mean to build resilience?
It helps to think of resilience as a state of being similar to our physical health.
Some are internal and some are external.
But its a state that can change.
With all that in mind, here are some tips that can help you become more resilient over time.
Lean on your support systems.
One of the best predictors of how somebody does in the face of adversity is relationships, says Grych.
And yes, that includes virtual connection.
Or seek out new relationships.
Plus, the casual relationships we maintain are important too.
It might be building relationships with people that you don’t know very well, says Grych.
Maybe through social media or online communities for shared interests.
Its never too late to start building relationships.
Even if they aren’t really deep initially, just being connected to other people can help.
Similarly,virtual support groupscan provide a sense of community during this time too.
Stay up on basic self-care.
So many of the activities you probably do for self-care are small ways of building resilience already.
The mind-body connection is real, y’all.
Beef up your emotional regulation skills.
Emotional regulation skills can help you to stay afloat instead of drowning in feelings.
Otherwise, the emotional impact of a crisis would just be too much.
Find ways to laugh.
In fact, its imperative.
Humor has enormous psychological benefits during stressful times, says Fialk.
Create things to look forward to.
If you need some ideas, I wrotethis articleon creating things to look forward to during the pandemic.
Spend time on things you find meaningful.
Having a strong sense of meaning or purpose is another biggie in resilient people, says Grych.
But dont worry, this certainly doesnt mean you have to have some divine greater purpose.
A global pandemic can really put things in perspective.
Maybe this is a time for you to sit back and think, What else matters to me?
What do I do that is meaningful to me?
Is listening to music something that is meaningful to me?
Dont mistake resilience with pushing yourself.
But thats how you burn out, not cultivate resilience that will carry you through.
Its important not to ignore when we might feel fatigued, depressed, or anxious.
Reframe your negative thoughts.
Because it feels like that sometimes.
So we have to find something small that we can survive.
This practice is known ascognitive reappraisal(or cognitive reframing), and its strongly connected with resilience.
Even when the things are simple, it adds up.
Find ways to help others.
Acting on compassion not only makes other peoples lives better, says Grych.
It typically makes us happier as well.
Specifically, self-compassion around how youre going to screw up the things on this list.
Thats not only okay; its completely necessary to being in this for the long haul.
Just get through the best you’ve got the option to.
Were affected by the environment that were in, says Grych.
So its important not to forget that, sometimes, resilience is a privilege.
You likely wont see the effects of all this work immediately, and thats okay.
Focus on doing your best while just getting through it.
Resilience isn’t about going through easy things, says Walker.
Resilience is about going through difficult things and coming out on the other side.
