5 Ways to Build Emotional Resilience

Emotional resilience is the degree to which can handle stressful life situations while remaining positive and upbeat. It does not mean you are unaffected by the stress or change; it just means you have handled similar situations before. Learning techniques for building emotional resilience can turn difficult circumstances into growth opportunities. The following five techniques may be useful for managing the next obstacle life places in your path.

1. Find your purpose.

Those without a strong feeling of purpose are more likely to be rocked by certain challenging situations in life. When you are rooted in your passionate purpose, it provides a certain amount of stability when you encounter difficult situations that threaten your security. A solid foundation of deep convictions provides not only motivation for living but also emotional and spiritual armor in times of conflict.

If you feel you are struggling to identify your purpose, first tap into your passions. What issues ignite fire in your soul? These could include social or political issues, creative pursuits, or spiritual quests. Then consider your greatest pains. What have you learned from past hurts? How can you use those lessons in the future? Will those lessons help others? Find your passion in your pain, seek inspiration in bible verses about strength in hard times, and pass your knowledge forward for the benefit of humanity.

2. Maintain perspective.

Your level of emotional resilience is largely dependent upon your attitude and perspective. Let’s face it, life is challenging for everyone. Most people will be forced to endure tests of their character at various points in their lives. As we are experiencing these moments of turmoil that feel like the whole world is caving in, it is necessary for our survival to recognize the opportunities within for emotional evolution.

If you are faced with a challenging obstacle, especially one with a heavy emotional component, the best method is to approach it head on. The longer you resist an uncomfortable emotion, the more powerful it will grow. It is as if those emotions are demanding your attention and if you try to ignore them, they will eventually grow strong enough that it could lead you into emotional crisis. To prevent additional crises, embrace each trial as another step to building emotional resilience for handling difficult issues in the future.

3. Practice mindfulness.

Practicing mindfulness is one of the best ways to build emotional resilience. Mindfulness is the art of awareness which is honed through meditations that encourage you to focus on intense awareness of the moment without judgment or interpretation.

While every human being experiences a certain level of awareness, not everyone is mindful. Mindfulness is about acknowledging your emotions as they arise, whether they are pleasant or uncomfortable feelings, and processing them in the moment. Mindfulness is the space that exists between your emotions that allows you to see things a bit more clearly. Because it grants you more clarity, mindfulness is an incredibly valuable tool for managing life’s challenges with confidence and integrity.

4. Embrace change.

Resilient people understand the nature of change and therefore possess the ability to transition easily in our constantly shifting world. People with immature emotional resilience tend to cling to the current state of things for security and validity. When that foundation gets rocked, they lose their footing much more quickly than the emotionally resilient.

By embracing change, you can develop an attitude which makes transitions much less complicated. Change and transition are unavoidable, so learning how to handle them with grace and confidence will ease the stress that naturally comes with big life adjustments.

5. Remain optimistic.

Staying optimistic and positive in the face of life’s challenges can be difficult, but it is also a practice that can make you more resilient and improve your overall quality of life. A focus on gratitude is a powerful first step toward optimism in any situation. Remember that we all have the skills to overcome the obstacles on life’s journey. And also remember to be kind to one another and help where you can because none of us were meant to travel this road alone.

What valuable tools do you have in your emotional arsenal? 

Keeping it on the edge,

Shelbee

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