What is Resilience?
Resilience is a critical part of navigating mental health challenges. According to the American Psychological Association, “Psychologists define resilience as the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats, or significant sources of stress—such as family and relationship problems, serious health problems, or workplace and financial stressors.”
But when we think about mental health, it is not just a one-off situation that can make things hard. Rather, it can simply be your day-to-day existence that can feel difficult to tackle.
Preparation
We can rarely anticipate challenges that will arise in life. Being prepared for twists and turns is a terrific way to start building resilience. Take, for instance, a global adventure that you are about to embark on. If you knew you were going to be backpacking for a month, you would pack certain things for survival and safety.
When we think about mental health resilience, we can categorize it similarly. Resilience is a set of tools and habits that help us push through challenging times. But if we do not do the work needed to build our resilience, we will not have it ready to go when needed.
Practicing Mental and Emotional Flexibility
Feeling defeated is normal, but defeat can be paralyzing if you do not find ways to move past it. Mental and emotional flexibility helps you access happiness and empowers you to move through your mental and emotional complexities without fixating. But how do you strengthen your mental and emotional flexibility? Here are a few ways:
Read books: Exercising your brain helps with cognitive processing. By engaging your mind in more challenging activities, you are building this muscle. With a strengthened brain, your ability to sort through complexities around emotions becomes easier. Also, there are many self-help books that focus specifically on emotional resilience, emotional flexibility, and beyond. By choosing content wisely, you can learn more about how to succeed in this arena while simultaneously stretching those brain muscles.
Journal: Get it out of your system! If you are feeling big feelings, write them down. By finding new ways to express yourself, you are not only strengthening your ability to process and feel but also bringing awareness to those feelings. By writing down what you are experiencing, you are better able to understand it. You can form new perceptions about the situation or event and process through it.
Exercise: Boosting your serotonin and distracting yourself from your current state is sometimes the way to go. Plus, there are no downsides to treating your body with love and respect.
Practice positive self-talk: When we validate our feelings and emotions, it allows us to experience them and move through them. Avoiding our emotions and criticizing ourselves for feeling only strengthens our experiences of loneliness, anger, and emotional paralysis.
Building Your Mental Health Resilience Toolkit
There are several ways to get closer to a life filled with resilience and emotional strength. Of course, when you are struggling with mental health issues, these practices can feel impossible. The key to success is taking small steps towards your ultimate goals. Perhaps you cannot accomplish all of these in one day or even one month, but over time, building these habits can help you experience immense relief. You might be asking, Where do I start? Here is a jumping-off point to help you begin building your toolkit:
Create Valuable Relationships
Isolation is an easy way to suffer mentally. When we isolate, we have no one to lean on during trying times. Empathetic and kind people are ready and able to help you navigate difficulties. Make sure to seek out people who validate your strengths and abilities. These are the individuals who will truly help you to build up your resilience and find joy amidst the chaos. Instead of avoiding help when you are in need, accept support and embrace the village that is eager to help you.
Prioritize Wellness in Body and Mind
Taking care of your body and mind is not optional when dealing with mental health issues or disorders. Stress is something that impacts both our physical and mental well-being. The American Psychological Association recommends “proper nutrition, ample sleep, hydration, and regular exercise to strengthen your body to adapt to stress and reduce the toll of emotions like anxiety or depression.”
Avoid Mind and Mood-Altering Substances
It is easy to fall into the trap of numbing when feeling overwhelmed. Substances make it difficult to rationalize and process feelings. Instead, this avoidance can worsen symptoms of anxiety and depression. Focus on building sober skills, so you know you are truly in control and ready to tackle anything that comes your way.
Find Purpose
Our lives can be filled with monotony and everyday tasks that feel pointless or stressful. Helping others, finding a hobby, or just generally seeking out activities or experiences that make you feel whole is a solid way to foster a sense of resilience and joy. When we feel like we are here for a reason, we are less likely to fixate on what is wrong in our lives and instead forge ahead with an optimistic and empowered perspective.
See a Professional
If you do not think you can build skills for resilience alone, seek out a psychologist or counselor to help you develop these habits. Trained professionals are experienced in resilience and can use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or other therapeutic techniques to help you strengthen your abilities to cope.
Why Mental Health Resilience Matters
Although resilience is part of our make-up for survival, it is a trait that needs to be honed and strengthened to become part of our emotional toolbox. Resilience is key for those struggling with mental health because it helps us combat symptoms of anxiety or depression. Resilience can also help us combat previous traumas like being bullied as a young child. Instead of succumbing to those negative memories, resilience means a stronger you. A you that can face those demons and tackle the day.
You may not always be able to practice resilience, but by making it a regular part of your life, you may feel less stuck, less anxious, and less doubtful of your ability to live a healthy and fulfilling life.
Find Your Community
If you struggle with managing your mental health, know you are not alone. Thousands of members at PatientsLikeMe know exactly what you are going through. Join the community today to connect with others who can share their experience so you can build your mental health resilience and improve your health.
