6 Ways to Become More Resilient Immediately

Even when you’re reeling, you often need to make key decisions or act. But finding the clarity and will to move forward in the face of adversity isn’t easy.

“Resilience is really fundamentally about the outcomes that we achieve in situations like that. It’s a process of keeping ourselves from spinning out toward dysfunction as opposed to spinning toward things that are going to help us move forward,” says Linda Hoopes, president of the consulting firm Resilience Alliance and coauthor of Managing Change with Personal Resilience.

There are some things you can do in the moment to help you “spin” in the right direction, she says. The goal is to give yourself a way to find the calm and clarity you need to make the best decisions in the situation. So, when you’re faced with a challenge and need to marshal instant resilience, try these tactics:

Get to a calmer state

When you’re absorbing shocking news, “your body is going into hyper-drive,” Hoopes says. Stress hormones are released, and your breath may become shallow. You may feel like your thoughts are racing. So, the first step to take is to try to calm those reactions so you can think more clearly. Breathing is one of the most important ways. Inhale and exhale deeply and deliberately.

Identify your feeling

If you can name it, you can deal with it. Anne Grady, founder of the resilience and performance consultancy Anne Grady Group, advises clients to identify how and what they’re feeling. “When you start assigning physical sensations to it, you take its power away.

Find your chill

When Grady finds herself facing a significant challenge, she has go-to sources of soothing.  She’ll tune in to Netflix for a comedy show or watch a bit of Comedy Central. Listening to soothing music or watching calming videos can also help you find an immediate moment of relaxation.

Get a reality check

It’s a common reaction to catastrophize when bad news hits, says Paula Davis-Laack, founder of the Stress and Resilience Institute, a resilience training firm. Avoid slipping into worst-case-scenario thinking, she advises. Find a trusted friend or mentor to gain perspective or write down your worst-case visions and think about the reasons they’re unlikely. In other words, reframe the situation.

Identify control points

Your writing or thinking exercise should also include the areas in which you have control or influence, Davis-Laack says. A simple resilience shortcut she teaches people is to assess the action steps you can immediately take to move forward. “It focuses you really quickly on where to put your time and energy,” she says.

Don’t isolate

When tough times hit, it may seem easier to withdraw and isolate yourself. That’s usually not the best course of action, Davis-Laack says. “Because we don’t want to look vulnerable, we stop ourselves from actually reaching out to people who could potentially help us,” she says.

Excerpted from “6 ways to become more resilient immediately” in Fast Company magazine. Read the full article for more details on each of the resilience tactics.

Source: Fast Company | 6 ways to become more resilient immediately, https://www.fastcompany.com/90467011/6-ways-to-become-more-resilient-immediately | © 2020 Mansueto Ventures, LLC

---

A screening can help you determine if you or someone you care about should contact a mental health professional. Care Coordinators can arrange a free 30 minute Care Consultation so you can explore options with an expert. Call or email our Care Coordinators at 650.688.3625 or careteam@chconline.org to set up an initial Consultation appointment.