How do we become more resilient?

Mental Health Moment

An important part of life is the ability to withstand or adjust to challenges.

Resilience is the ability to recover from or adjust and change from difficult situations in our life.

Hardships are common to all of us in life. The key is to learn and grow through them. The challenge is when we get stuck and can’t move forward.

Resilience is actually a catalyst for transformation. Like exercising a muscle, as we learn through challenges, we grow.

I learned a long time ago to ask better questions. I don’t ask “why” am I going through this or “when” are you going to deliver me from this? Instead, I say, God “what” do you want me to learn from this? How can I grow through this to move forward?

Here are some small steps you can take:

Start with gratitude. Wake up thinking about what or who you’re grateful for. Write them down or say them outloud

Set the tone for your day. Pray and spend time doing a devotional or reading the Bible.

Be present. Throughout the day, be present in conversations with others. Try to stay focused on enjoying the moment.

Encourage others. Text an encouraging message to someone you haven’t talked to in a while. When you refresh others, the Bible says, you will be refreshed.

Be nice to someone without expecting anything in return. Smile. Say something nice each day to a neighbor, cashier or janitors.

Manage your mindset

Shift your thinking. Mindfulness helps you shift your thoughts from negative to positive. What are you thinking about? Pay attention to your thoughts. Take the negative thoughts captive and replace them with something positive.

Meditation helps ground you. Take some deep breaths. Breathe in through your nose. Hold it a few seconds. And release through your mouth. Spend some time in prayer and thinking on good things.

Make positive connections. Having healthy relationships is important. Find someone you can encourage and who encourages you. Avoid isolating yourself.

Who are you hanging out with?

You can’t sore with eagles if you’re hanging out with chickens.

Just as trees grow their branches towards the sun, spend more time with people who shine in your life.

Who are you listening to? Are they having a positive or negative impact on your life?

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.”

John 15

Bounce Back

Resilient people get back up and don’t give up. They perservere. They Persist.

Life is a marathon not a sprint.

You don’t ever really bounce back the same. You bounce forward.

Get back up

Though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes.”

Proverbs 24:16

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