Emotional resilience is the ability to deal with and adapt to stressful situations. Being emotionally resilient doesn’t mean that nothing bad ever happens in your life, or that you have to be positive 24/7 but it does mean that you have the mental flexibility to respond to big stressors in your life.
- Practice Being Straightforward
When people make unrealistic or unreasonable demands to you, you have the right to speak up, advocate for yourself and say no if you need to. This can be really scary (trust me I know!) but in the long run this is one of the best ways to become more resilient by giving ourselves the grace to say what we need to without fear.
Mind Tools has a great resource of tips on assertiveness for anyone looking to become more confident and straightforward with others.
- Power Stances
Alongside becoming more assertive, one technique to build up your confidence is the practice of power stances. Power stances are a physical way in which to build confidence and in turn help you become more resilient. While I don’t often do these, I know people who swear by them, so even if they make you giggle a bit to begin with they are well worth trying.
Find out how to power pose here.
- Relaxation and Mindfulness
Mindfulness is described as a technique used to allow an individual to be fully in the present. This can be a great tool for emotional resilience as it allows you to take stock of how you are feeling, regulate your emotions, and allows for time to build up your resilience to stress and anxiety.
Most people may think of relaxation and mindfulness as just breathing exercises and meditation. While this is a valuable part of mindfulness, there are many more ways to practice being mindful that may work for you. For me, mindful colouring is what I enjoy the most, but for you, mindful movement, mindful chores or mindful shower taking may sound more interesting. Click here to find a practice that works for you.
- Build A Support Network
This is essential to ensure you are supported and comfortable. This network should include friends and family, but also people that impact your life in other ways. For example, as a university student, you may find support from a lecturer, or you may find comfort in your work colleagues. Furthermore, don’t be afraid to include different services into your network: think about reaching out to your GP, or different mental health charities if you need to – they are often vital lifelines when things get overwhelming, or you want to speak to someone confidentially about coping with your emotions.
- Look After the Physical
Lastly, your mind cannot work at its most efficient and resilient if your body is not functioning to the best of its ability. Therefore, making lifestyle changes like getting better sleep, doing regular exercise and eating a balanced diet wherever possible is the best way to prepare yourself for being an emotionally resilient individual.
Those were my tips on becoming more emotionally resilient, let us know if you have any more on our socials!