Resilience is all about how well you bounce back when life throws the hard punches. And life, as wonderful as it can be, will predictably always throw the hard punches. It’s not because you’re “unlucky” or life is “out to get you”. It’s something we all experience.
As someone who has struggled with PTSD for years, I know a thing or two about surviving the unimaginably painful times. It can sometimes feel like an accomplishment all by itself to just wake up during these times. Truth be told, sometimes it is.
Resilience doesn’t have to be this impossible thing. You are strong enough already. You are tough enough already. You are resilient already.
This article is all about me walking you through some highly effective techniques to use during the hard times, the good times, and everything in-between.
Practice thought stopping.
Thought stopping is exactly what it sounds like. Often, when we’re feeling bad about ourselves and like Dooms Day is around the corner, it’s not because that’s actually our reality. 99% of the time, it’s because we tell ourselves it’s true.
Your thoughts are powerful. They can make you feel better or worse. They are your medicine. You thoughts can either feed your demons or starve them out.
Allowing your negative thoughts to play all the way to finish doesn’t help “prepare” your mind for those bad things. In fact, it actually ends up creating the same amount of emotional damage as that negative situation would cause in real life. So, you’re hurting yourself twice.
Meanwhile, positive thinking gives you a sense of purpose and an overall feeling of well-being. They increase your confidence and reduce the significance of any fear you may have.
When you practice thought stopping, you’re stopping your negative thoughts in their tracks. Instead of going down the rabbithole of everything that can go wrong, you tell yourself “STOP” (either internally or out loud), and then replace the thought with something positive.
Take time to reflect on your purpose.
When you feel like you have a true purpose it life, it’s hard to get deterred off course by hardships. That’s because you believe that there’s something more than one bad experience to the next.
Having a strong desire to pursue your purpose in life is more grounding than living for basic necessities to get you from day to day. When you feel connected to your authentic self and your inherent value, your world opens to new possibilities and intentions.
While many of us feel as though our life purpose has yet to be revealed to us, there is a way to feel more connected to what you have to offer to the world.
Imagine the person you want to be. What are you doing daily? What goals are you achieving? What does your life look like? Say “no” to anything that doesn’t fit into those answers.
Resilience doesn't have to be this impossible thing. You are strong enough already. You are tough enough already. You are resilient already. I'm giving you the highly effective techniques to help you really shine. Click To TweetPut strong boundaries around self-care.
Self-care isn’t all bubble baths and #treatyourself. Real self-care is creating a world that you don’t need to escape from.
Putting strong boundaries around your self-care is self-preservation. It’s setting clear lines about things, people, emotions, and situations you’re willing to accept into your life and those that you’re willing to let go of.
Self-care is not embracing self-centeredness, denial, or a lack of responsibility for the role you play. In fact, it’s the reverse. It’s giving to yourself your needs so you can help others. It’s accepting your reality and releasing your need for control and replacing it with an intention of peace, no matter the outcome. It’s taking responsibility for your role in the world and how you choose to effect others.
When you set boundaries to protect these things, you are setting parameters so you can be your best self for you and for those around you.
Create daily goals.
Your daily goals do not have to be groundbreaking. They can, and should, be simple.
When you’re first getting onto your feet, keep them small and doable. For example, waking up and getting out of bed in the morning can be an excellent starter goal.
The idea is to help you feel accomplished at the end of every day because you met your goal. This sense of accomplishment acts as a force of positivity in your life, even when you feel like everything else is going wrong.
Get outside and around other people every week.
It’s hard to live inside your own little world when you venture to the wide outdoors. It forces your brain to expand beyond your current reality.
This is exactly what you want when you’re feeling stuck, afraid, and outright down about life. You want to be able to put a new lense on things and see from a different perspective.
Connecting with friends, family, and loved ones regularly in-person brings us out of the shell of our own minds, even minds filled with extreme turmoil.
If you got value from this article, remember to share it with someone who could use it, too!
I like the idea of small, daily goals – that sounds quite manageable!
I hope it helps! 🙂