How Resilience Helps Us Thrive Amid Life’s Toughest Moments

Living in this fast-paced world can sometimes feel as though you are moving from one crisis to the next. Whether dealing with personal issues or worrying about global concerns, you have likely experienced an upheaval in the past several years – which can take its toll on your physical and mental health.

All of us will experience challenges in our life, and life can throw curveballs at us any moment. The trick is to find ways of regaining a sense of control and adjusting to the changes you face. That is what resilience can do. Resilient people are able to bounce back – and even experience personal growth from these challenges.

Take a closer look at the value of resilience and how it can make a difference in the way you see and interact with the toughest moments life throws at you.

What Is Resilience?

Psychological and emotional resilience is characterized by the ability to bounce back from negative experiences, as well as by being able to adjust to what those stressful experiences demand. People who are resilient tend to have a higher tolerance for the emotional distress that tough times cause.

Some examples of resilience include:

• Having the ability to see the positive in difficult situations

• Seeing challenges as learning opportunities

• Reframing negative thoughts to more positive ones

• Regulating emotions and expressing them appropriately

• Focusing on the things you can control and not on what you can’t

Resilience allows you to tackle the anxiety and stress that trauma causes while also helping you rebound from the setbacks you suffer. Resilient people are able to maintain a positive outlook and consider even an uncertain future with less trepidation.

But why do some individuals have natural resilience while others do not? One factor is childhood experiences. Children who have at least one supportive relationship with a parent, caregiver, or other adult often have a better chance of building childhood resilience.

That does not mean, however, if you did not develop resilience in childhood, you cannot do so later in life. There are many ways in which you can help yourself build this crucial skill at any age.

How Resilience Helps You Through Challenges

Emotional resilience does not make your problems disappear. Instead, it helps you cope with what those problems bring. This capacity to bounce back can help improve your quality of life and can be a protective mechanism against burnout.

You also learn to adapt, which not only helps you through the current challenges you are facing but also opens you up to new experiences and growth as well. Resilience teaches you to value each experience you have and to get something positive out of it. That builds confidence and self-esteem, which further prepares you for facing future challenges.

Emotional resilience can have an impact on your physical health, too. It protects you from some of the most detrimental effects of stress, like developing sleeping problems, heart problems, and immune system issues. People with higher resilience levels tend to have lower rates of chronic conditions too.

But what does resilience look like in action? An example of resilience could be -- the ability to avoid feeling overwhelmed about losing your job and focusing on what you can control (new job search) or being able to reframe a negative experience, like a breakup, into a learning opportunity.

Tips for Building Resilience

If you find that you are more sensitive to emotional distress or have trouble managing hardships, there are things you can do to start building resilience.

Nurture Relationships

Having a strong support system is essential for building resilience. This support can help you navigate the difficulties life brings by allowing you to experience fewer feelings of isolation or have more motivation to pursue your goals. Your support system can offer practical advice during tough times, as well as encouragement.

Practice Mindfulness

Mindfulness is the practice of paying attention to the present moment and allowing yourself to focus on everything positive around you. Mindfulness can include body scanning exercises, meditation, and many other techniques.

Invest in Self-Care

Prioritize activities that promote physical, mental, and emotional well-being. This can include eating healthy meals, taking the time to exercise, and getting enough sleep. You will also want to take steps to manage your overall stress levels, including doing deep breathing exercises regularly and finding other ways of bringing relaxation to your life.

Laugh More

Laughter can help decrease stress hormones and increase feel-good hormones like serotonin while also enhancing immunity. Watch a funny video, follow humorous people on social media, and find any excuse to smile and laugh throughout the day.

Stay Motivated

When facing problems, you need to take them one step at a time. This makes them more manageable and keeps you motivated to overcome the problem. Make sure to savor your small successes.

If you are in the process of finding a job, for example, you can celebrate each time you get an interview. While you have not resolved your problem, you are still making progress.

Express Gratitude

There is always something to be grateful for, even during the toughest times. This can be something as simple as being grateful for your pet’s affection or for having a friend you can call up and talk through problems. Feelings of gratitude can help boost your mood and allows your mind to to have a break from the stressful issue you are dealing with.

Be Kind to Yourself

Building resilience takes time. If you find yourself struggling, do not criticize yourself or your coping skills. Have the same compassion for yourself that you would have for someone else.

Try Therapy

For many people, developing the kinds of strategies mentioned above may be enough for building their resilience. However, if you find yourself stuck or having difficulty making progress on becoming more resilient, a mental health professional can help.

The mental health professionals of Wellness Links have the training and expertise to help you develop appropriate strategies for moving forward.

Access Your Innate Strength Today

Although it is impossible to go through life without experiencing some form of hardship, you can take control of how you respond to it by building resilience. If you do not know where to begin or if you simply want to know more about the process, contact a mental health professional for guidance.

Notes

Tugade, M. M., & Fredrickson, B. L. (2004). Resilient Individuals Use Positive Emotions to Bounce Back from Negative Emotional Experiences. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 86(2), 320–333. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.86.2.320

Harvard University. (2015). Resilience. Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University; Harvard University. https://developingchild.harvard.edu/science/key-concepts/resilience/

Krause, K. D. (2020). The Impact of Resilience on Health: Lessons Learned and Future Directions. Behavioral Medicine, 46(3-4), 375–378. https://doi.org/10.1080/08964289.2020.1790975

Kramer, C. K., & Cristiane Bauermann Leitao. (2023). Laughter as medicine: A systematic review and meta-analysis of interventional studies evaluating the impact of spontaneous laughter on cortisol levels. PLoS One, 18(5), e0286260–e0286260. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0286260