Be More Resilient
This goal is for anyone who wants to be able to improve their ability to ‘bounce back’ from adversity in their life.
The steps are inspired by the work of leading resilience experts Steven M. Southwick and Dennis S. Charney, authors of Resilience: The Science of Mastering Life’s Greatest Challenges.
Flex encourages you to develop habits that will help you to be more resilient.
Those who see a bright future ahead can make it through tough times. The habit of positive thinking can be nurtured and grown, unlocking new perspectives for approaching life's challenges.
Keeping our minds sharp and regulating our emotions gives us a better chance of responding well to challenging situations. This is a habit that can be nurtured through exercises in brain fitness and cognitive learning.
When we do the things we find meaningful our perspective on the world can shift. Meaning is different for each of us, and often found when we offer the best of ourselves to help others.
When we act according to what we believe is right, our behaviour lines up with our values. This reinforces feelings of self-worth that can help us feel more confident and determined to overcome adversity.
Belief in a higher power is related to higher levels of resilience. The power may be God or something else that is greater than ourselves - in each case, faith can provide moral support, community with others and a perspective that puts our individual concerns in a different light.
When we're fearful our brains shut down the range of options available to us - we go into 'fight or flight' mode. It's a response that's helped the human race survive, but it doesn't serve us well against many modern dilemmas. When we face those challenges we can get back the control and sense of self-esteem that makes us resilient.
When we can draw on a range of emotional responses we have more options for dealing with changes in life. Emotional flexibility is a habit that can practised for when we need it most.
Supporting and being supported by others is a key factor in our individual resilience. By developing our habits around good communication and relationships we can create, grow and nurture the social networks we need.
When we feel physically strong we are more likely to feel ready for what life throws at us. And becasue becoming fitter is a process of ups and downs, where we set targets, push ourselves and overcome obstacles, it's a way to practice and learn about resilience itself.
