Bend Without Breaking

Have you noticed that some people fare better in difficult situations?  I was curious about resilience - that trait of being able to bounce back, to bend without breaking.  Is it something I could learn to be better at?  Yes, in fact, there are ways in which we can strengthen our resilience muscles, through practice and intention.

Most scary situations we face in our lives today however aren't related to the immediate threat of a hungry wild animal. The situations we face may be significantly stressful ones, like a job loss or a serious illness, that will have serious consequences for us and others.

Or, it might be something that has seemingly less serious consequences but feels extremely significant and scary to you - like public speaking.

Our brains have the capacity to rewire. What we practice, we become. How do we build our resilience muscle memory, so that it's there when we face a stressful situation? 

Although we're all biologically different, many of the characteristics of resilience can be practicedand therefore strengthened. The American Psychological Association provides tips to strengthen our capacity to bend without breaking:

Accept that change is a fact of life - focus on what you can control

Expect that good things will happen in your life

Foster great relationships

Move toward your goals each day

Take on new challenges - build your confidence

Take care of your mind, body and spirit to be ready to face what comes your way

Build up your resilience muscle.  You never know when you'll need it.