9 Ways To Be More Resilient About Anything

April 11, 2017

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Keisha Blair was featured in Prevention’s article by Judy Koutsky. As someone who has bounced back from tragedy and loss she know a thing or two about resilience. She has previously written about overcoming tragedy and loss. Read article below. You know those people. The ones who seem to easily bounce back from a crisis...

Read article below.

You know those people. The ones who seem to easily bounce back from a crisis or tragedy faster than you polish off a box of post-breakup Girl Scout cookies. What’s their secret? They’re resilient as all heck. Meaning, they have the ability to withstand or recover quickly from plights and personal shortcomings. But before you open another box of cookies over how unfair it is that you seem to have been born without that trait, know this: Resilience is a skill that you can hone. It just takes some practice and know-how. Read on to discover simple, productive strategies for dealing with all of life’s hiccups and obstacles. (Looking for more ways to become healthier and happier?

Avoid negative people.

Want to make a difficult situation even tougher on yourself? Surround yourself with negative people. “While trying to keep a positive attitude, you must avoid people who thrive on negativity,” says Fran Walfish, PsyD, a family and relationship psychotherapist and author of The Self-Aware Parent. Negative people can bring you down regardless of what your situation is.

Instead, seek out positive people, and you may soon adapt their “can do” spirit in the face of adversity—just like negative attitudes can spread, so can positive ones. For more ways to think more positively, read up on these 6 easy ways to be a whole lot more optimistic about anything.

Pay it forward.

When you’re overwhelmed, doing something kind for someone else is likely the last thing you feel like doing. But it’s exactly what you should do, says Walfish. “Being generous in words and actions creates positive feelings for the doer and gets endorphins flowing,” she says. In turn, this can help you see positive ways to deal with your own difficult situation. Plus, if karma has its way, someone will be doing something nice for you soon enough.

Realize failures are inevitable.

Everyone makes mistakes, and everybody experiences failure, that’s a fact. Realizing this and knowing that missteps are a way to help us learn and grow is essential to becoming more resilient. “People who internalize failure and see it as a statement about how good or smart they are, are less likely to take risks or try new things,” says Rebecca Zucker, executive coach, and partner at Next Step Partners, a leadership development firm. “It’s important to take risks, try new things, and make decisions with imperfect information.” Know that failures and mistakes are not inevitable, and taking risks also means there’s a chance for great success.

Make taking care of yourself a non-negotiable.

Being in the right mindset before adversity hits can make recovery that much easier. “Taking seriously good care of yourself is crucial to your happiness,” Walfish points out. “This includes what you eat, drink and think, how often you move your body, and how much you rest.” If you’re constantly sleep-deprived and hungover, for example, you’re less able to make the best decision in a difficult situation. But if you’re in a good place to begin with, obstacles may not seem insurmountable. (Think you don’t have enough time to work out? Think again! If you can spare 10 minutes, then you’ve got time to become active and lose weight for good with Prevention’s new 10-minute workouts and 10-minute meals. Get Fit in 10: Slim and Strong for Life now!)

Don’t compare yourself to others.

Everyone faces challenges that they need to overcome, even if you don’t know about them. Not to mention, all of us have a different path, so it won’t do you any good to compare yourself to others. (In fact, it’s one of these 6 things naturally happy people never do.) Instead, know that whatever hurdles or obstacles you’re facing will make you stronger and better than you were before—no matter how much it might hurt right now, says Keisha Blair, parenting and career coach, and co-founder of Aspire-Canada.

Read full article here: http://www.prevention.com/mind-body/9-ways-to-be-more-resilient-about-anything/slide/3