Ever wondered how you (us) survive for this long with everything you’ve experienced your whole life? Remembering the good things is easy and fulfilling but the hardships and the highs and lows of the sea that we call life is what makes us who we are. You’re tougher than you think and you’re most likely practicing mental resilience activities without even knowing.
Let’s dive deeper into this topic and help you understand mental resilience, and how you can improve it day by day.
What is Mental Resilience?
Mental resilience is the process of adapting and thriving through adversity, trauma, and other significant sources of stress. It means having the capacity to “bounce back” especially from not-so-good experiences and use them to learn.
Building mental resilience is not learning how to avoid bad experiences and skate through life, but rather facing it head-on; feeling optimistic that whatever it may bring, you’ll survive and learn something in the end. But having strong mental resilience doesn’t happen overnight. Just like everything, mastery involves doing something over and over again, perfecting your craft. It comes with time, trial and error. These experiences make you mentally tough and have a more positive attitude and perspective in life.
Demonstrating Mental Resilience
Now, what do mentally resilient people do? What are the personality traits projected by those who are mentally resilient? Take note of the following because these are the outcomes that we all try to achieve:
Optimism.
It is being able to be excited about everything and looking at things positively. It also means being ok at things that you’re not.
Rational thought process.
Having a capacity to create well-thought plans with the steps to carry them out.
Moral strength.
It is not influenced by your surroundings. You know what’s right and wrong and you stand for what you believe no matter what others think.
Being calm under pressure.
These are what problem solvers are made of. They understand the severity of a situation and have the mental toughness to plan and execute a resolution.
Intrinsic faith.
This may be faith in God, or humanity, or the universe, but having faith requires high mental fortitude because by definition, “faith” is believing in something/someone that may or may not have a rational explanation.
Balance.
Having the ability to balance your time with work, family, friends, and yourself is a mark of a mentally resilient person.
Sociability.
Being able to get along with different types of people and trust someone as you go into a personal relationship.
Empathy or Compassion.
Learning that life is not just made for you and creating ways to extend help to people is a very important sign of mental resilience.
Joy.
Being joyful even in tough situations is what we all need to develop.
Good habits.
Having the discipline to eat healthily and do positive habits is evidence of mental resilience.
Effects of Mental Resilience
A happy body is a healthy body. The effects of mental resilience are positively too many to count but on the surface, there are different positive health outcomes:
- Greater resistance to stress
- Lesser anxiety attacks
- Better sleep
- More energy
- Better immune system
5 Mental Resilience Activities
Go out of your comfort zone.
Getting out and being in somewhat difficult situations may be a great way to build mental resilience. Mental resilience is a built-in resistance to negative situations and being out of your comfort zone will definitely set the stage.
Find your purpose.
No matter what anyone says, remember that you’re here for a purpose. Learn how we can be of help to other people. Search for it and once you find it, never let go.
Build relationships.
Talking to someone new, going out with your friends, or having a friendly night out is very essential in connecting with other people and ourselves. We build empathy, compassion, and fairness.
Find your time alone.
Your inner peace will keep you centered in the middle of the hustle and bustle of life. Meditation is one great activity to keep you centered and mindful even at your own time.
Take care of your body.
A car will not run empty, that’s why we need to take care of our body for us to take care of our mind. Sleeping early, exercising, eating right, and taking supplements like CBD, CBG, and CBN will definitely help you get there.
Takeaway
Through ups and downs, we are able to develop strength and fortitude that we may have not imagined having. Improving your mental fortitude by religiously following the mental resilience activities will definitely help you better prepare for the journey ahead.
