Everyone experiences hard things. I have reached a point when I say “I can’t do this.” According to the American Psychological Association, resilience gives us the emotional strength to successfully adapt to difficult or challenging life experiences. Resilience is a person’s ability to withstand adversity, bounce back and grow despite life’s downturns.
I have wondered, how am I developing resilience while I am in the midst of the struggle? I have a few ideas that I thought of.
Stop ruminating, begin writing. In the past, I relived the difficult event over and over in my mind. My thoughts went around and around like on a spinning wheel. Journaling about the situation can help me process the experience. I often gain different perspectives and clarity. Then I am able to list two or three positive things about the experience and I can begin to move forward toward healing. I sometimes can see a different way to respond to the difficult situation.
Be kind to yourself. Realize that you are not alone. Gather those around you that will support and help you. It is difficult for me to ask for help. And yet when I resist my tendency to isolate during a crisis, and instead reach out, I am comforted by the outpouring of love and concern I receive. When I am open with others and share what is happening, I receive help that oftimes, I am not even aware that I need.
Keep up good habits of healthy eating, light exercise, and ample sleep daily. When stressful events happen, my good habits often disappear. After Nicks’s recent seizure episode of 28 hours a couple of weeks ago, Arden and I spent the next few days resting and recuperating. It wasn’t selfish, it was self-care.
Tackle strong emotions directly by facing fears. Visualize what you want instead of what you fear. Adopting a more balanced and healthy thinking pattern helps me to evaluate the situation. And if I will look closely, I can find that I have grown in some area as a result of my difficult experiences. Dieter F. Uchtdorf said, “It’s your reaction to adversity, not adversity itself that determines how your life’s story will develop.”
We can’t change what happens to us in our life, but we can control our responses. I believe that each of us is the author of our own stories. I have decided I will find the joy in the situations and I will have my happy ending.
What are your thoughts, have you had similar experiences? I would love to hear from you. It can be an incredible blessing to hear the stories of others.
Please share this blog post if you know someone who would benefit.
