Resilience is a Way, Not a Solution
If you want to build resilience it helps to understand that you almost certainly already have everything you need.
Take it Slow
As the pace hots up we can be carelessly dragged along by the friction. Making a point of creating some slow moments can be restorative, and keep you out of the stress cycle.
Happy About or Happy In…
There's a vogue for the quest for happiness, but it's a vague vogue. By that I mean its an abstract, catch-all term that can be confiusing. What's more, thinking about it too much will probably make you un-happier.
Is it Failure, or Just Punctuation?
Rejection and failure are part of life, so are setbacks to our projects and plans. But how can you tell when it's right to abandon something? Can you distinguish between failure and a temporary halt, between a full stop and a comma?
An Intellectual Diet
I’m not promoting some high-brow agenda, I’m talking about how we seem to have an unhealthy preoccupation with the negative things that surround us.
Reframe, But Not Until You’re Ready
Our beliefs and the explanation we give ourselves have a huge impact on how we experience life. Even, in some cases, if we live at all. Explanations rule when it comes to how we respond to events, that's why multiple explanations can make us more resilient. But take your time.
Hope for the Hopeless
It’s all very well for people to try and cheer us up with proverbs about hope, but when we hear something that doesn’t fit our view we tend to reject it. There is another route out of hopelessness though, and the great thing is that you don’t have to understand it (or believe it), to appreciate it.
What I Meant to Say Was…
A fatalistic attitude can help with some things but it has to be used selectively. It's easy to fall into a "there's nothing I can do..." mindset, and even if this is true, there is still something that one can do. Perhaps we can't influence events, but we can influence ourselves.
Support? Or Commiseration?
Support groups are vital and can be a life-saver. But beware, without attention they can become talking shops where support is forgotten and commiseration and reinforcement are the norm.
Feel Better and Do More, Start Small
In these pressured times how to get more done and enjoy it more seems like a tall order, but it is entirely possible. Being able to function well in times of high demand depends on our levels of resilience. Start today by doing one simple thing.
