Resilience is typically associated with one’s capacity to overcome obstacles and difficult circumstances. In actuality, the word’s etymology refers to “the act of rebounding” and comes from the Latin verb “resiliens,” which means “to recoil or rebound.” While some people seem to have an innate ability to overcome hardship, others do not. But, the good news is that you can learn how to be resilient.

You will benefit from resilience throughout your life. Once mastered, you may always use your prior experiences—both physical and emotional—to handle and get through challenging situations. In reality, developing resilience can help you get better since it allows you to grow stronger as you face challenges and learn new coping skills. The ability to live life to its fullest without fear may be improved by realizing how resilient you are.

Resilience goes hand in hand with flexibility and adaptation. The more opportunities you see for yourself, particularly during challenging times and obstacles, the more you enable yourself to succeed and grow as a person.

#1 Get to Know Yourself

Make a list of your attributes. Recognize your accomplishments and skills in addition to your limitations and what you worry you can’t do or handle. Never take these things for granted.

Since this is who you are, you can rely on them to support you while you face obstacles and problems. Your capacity to rise to the challenge, deal with conflicts and find solutions to problems increases when you have confidence in your capacity.

Additionally, develop your perspective-taking skills. Even if they seem critical at the moment, life’s obstacles, crises, and catastrophes must be viewed in the context of the overall scheme of things. How will the issue that is keeping you up at night and absorbing a lot of your energy and time fit into the bigger picture of your life? Will it continue to be a major factor in your thoughts, or will it gradually fade away until you barely recall it at all?

#2 Keep the Negative Thinking at Bay

We tend to fear the worst, but the truth is not that dark. You should try and keep a clear head while navigating the waves of life. We are aware that it is much simpler to say than to actually do, but it is true that if we can learn to control our thoughts, particularly our bad ones, we can take some proactive measures. We tend to worry and fret due to the negative thoughts we have since we dread what might happen.

We seem to think that focusing on all the potential problems will lead to a solution. There isn’t any. Often, when we are thinking negatively, all we are doing is ruminating about it and doing nothing to change it.

Don’t predict the future, particularly if you fear the worst. It’s possible for the best to occur. Worst-case scenarios can make you more stressed and drained.

Therefore, how do we stop this cycle? We refocus our thoughts on something uplifting, optimistic, peaceful, or at the very least neutral. What is the most effective strategy to do that? We walk, we work out, we relax, we pray, and we do something creative. To put it another way, we shift our mental state and give our mind a break from persistent negative thinking.

#3 Be Open to Change

Resilience depends heavily on flexibility. You’ll be better prepared to react when a crisis occurs in your life if you learn how to become more adaptable. People who are resilient frequently take advantage of these situations to explore new opportunities. While sudden changes can be devastating to some people, highly resilient people are able to adjust and flourish.

You’ll be ahead of the game if you can understand that nothing stays the same and that there will constantly be change. Every one of us will face obstacles throughout life from both internal and external forces. 

We frequently manage to defeat anything that tries to obstruct or halt us in some way. Wouldn’t it be better if we knew or felt we have the capacity for resilience and will face these challenges with tenacity and confidence? 

#4 Set Some Goals

This can be done at many levels. Establish realistic objectives that you can consistently achieve, perhaps short-term tasks that are simple to do. These can be artistic endeavors, leisurely activities, home improvement tasks, activities related to your daily health routine, or community service pursuits. The act of doing something and then accomplishing it is immediately satisfying. Often, helping others also makes you feel good.

It could be harder to set life goals. What are your dreams for the future? To reap the benefits of these, long-term planning, effort, and time commitment may be required. However, making a life plan could benefit you by helping you maintain perspective on the bigger picture, particularly when you are facing difficulties and obstacles that cause you to stray from your course.

Take a step back to just examine what is in front of you when you feel yourself being overwhelmed by a situation. Then, break your list of potential answers into manageable steps.

#5 Develop Meaningful Connections

You can get the help you need to overcome life’s obstacles if you have a strong social network. Having trustworthy, compassionate individuals in your life who will listen to you and perhaps provide you with advice eases the weight and prevents you from feeling alone.

People who encourage you, cheer you on, lift you up, provide you comfort and strength, and aid in building your resilience, particularly during difficult times. 

Establish ties with your loved ones, friends, neighbors, and others who have similar interests. Participate in a class, join a local club, or work for a religious organization. Discover a group that holds online sessions you can attend if you can’t meet in person.

Strong relationships offer social support and might make you feel like you’re part of something bigger than yourself. We are not alone, as our friends and family constantly remind us.

#6 Maintain a Healthy Perspective and Be Optimistic

Sometimes things appear gloomy and hopeless, while other times they appear bright and sunny. Even in the middle of tragedy, there are positive aspects and things to aspire to. You can continue to go in a positive way by maintaining hope. While certain situations will favor you, others won’t.

Even so, if you get the chance to reflect back on a challenging moment in your life, you can discover that what didn’t go as planned actually led you in a new direction. A better one, perhaps, and you might have discovered something new about yourself.

People who are resilient are less likely to wallow in difficulties or feel persecuted or overburdened. They are also more inclined to accept change as a natural aspect of life. When things are tough, remember the good things that have happened and imagine a positive outcome. Have faith that something positive will eventually happen.

Do you find change to be scary? Do you think making a change in your life is such a large and risky step? It’s possible that this is one of life’s most unpredictable parts, but the greatest thing you can do is learn to cope with it and embrace change. So it might be helpful to check out: Adapting to Change: 5 Fearless Ways to Do It