Developing Resilience: Overcoming Difficult Times in Life and Emerging Stronger
Acknowledging where you are in life and deciding to make the best of it: These insights help to cope better with challenges.
Resilience - the word by refers to someone's psychological and mental strength. It is about the ability to master and "cushion" challenging situations. One could humorously compare it to the shock absorbers of a car: If a car has good suspension, it comes back unscathed from a ride on a bumpy road. However, if another car, whose shock absorbers are not in good condition, drives along the same road, the car may suffer damage. Of course, this is a far-fetched metaphor, but it still describes what resilience is basically about. Resilience has a lot to do with how strong our inner resources are and how well we can cope when the road of life gets bumpy.
The ability to overcome challenges with ease, to get up again when you fall down - all this describes resilient people. They have a strong mindset. Even when they face adversity in life, they are not easily thrown off course. The good news is: We can all learn to develop and strengthen our inner resources and become more resilient.
Steps to get back on track in life after a challenge
Accepting the status quo
Acknowledging where you are creates peace and space for change. Far too often we create resistance against what is and by doing so make the situation even more difficult. Being open to really paying attention and no longer running away from your own feelings and fears about a situation can be incredibly healing. It's okay to be sad, angry or frustrated sometimes. It's okay to be down sometimes too - whether it's due to grief, heartbreak or a life crisis in general. The important thing is that we decide to get up again at a certain point. But we can only do that if we acknowledge our feelings and the situation first.
Refrain from criticism and judgement
Sometimes we make difficult times in life much more burdensome because we are so hard on ourselves. Even if we don't say it out loud, we criticise and judge ourselves in our minds. This makes us feel even worse. The magic word here is compassion. Looking at ourselves with kindness and compassion can help us get through pain and strengthen our relationship with ourselves - and thus our resilience. We should not only treat others with compassion, but also ourselves. In doing so, we change our lives for the better.
Getting help
The greatest act of self-love is now and then to admit to yourself when you need help and then also have the courage to ask for it. Whether it's a session with a therapist or a conversation with a good friend, mental support comes in many forms. It is up to us to sense and understand what we need at the moment.
"The more we come back to the things which bring us joy, which give us energy and strength, the easier it becomes to let go and look forward."
Taking one step at a time
When we try to find our way back into life after a difficult phase, it can be quite overwhelming. It doesn't happen overnight. That's why the motto is: one step at a time. The more we come back to the things which bring us joy, which give us energy and strength, the easier it becomes to let go and look forward. For some, that's spending more time with friends again, for others it's doing sports or going on holiday for a few days.
Even if life doesn't seem quite back to normal yet, we can still find joy in the special moments and in the little things in life... Until one day we wake up in the morning and realise that we are happier again.
