Actions to Bolster Your Resilience

To Increase Your Resilience

Even more relevant today than when I wrote this in 2016.

 9 Ways to Bolster Your Resilience

Resilience is tied to the ability to learn to live with ongoing fear and uncertainty, namely, the ability to show positive adaptation, despite significant life adversities, thus adapting to difficult and challenging life experiences.

1. Through Meaning and Purpose:

• Keep a personal journal. Write a personal mission statement
• Write out monthly personal goals; future oriented planning helps. 
• Write a daily intention
• Build your goal-attaining skills, seek help with it and on the skills or areas you need
• Act on your curiosity, your educational aspirations. Be persistent.

2. Through Altruism:

• Help others, engage in kindness activities
• Practice empathy and compassion
• Use acceptance and tolerance strategies.

3. Develop Optimism and Hope:

• Make a daily gratitude list
• Join a Greatness Circle 
• Practice positive self-talk. Visualize what you want
• Expect positive results from your efforts, and from the world
• Recognize your areas of competence in work, learning, athletics and friendship 
• Use your problem-solving skills, get help, go to library and research it.

4. Get Organized:

• Allow the role of rituals to bring you comfort
• Organize your home, one area, or one room at a time 
• Have a schedule with family and loved ones.

 5.  Learn What Others Know:

• Read biographies and self-help books
• Listen to podcasts to hear how to create the life you want
• Talk to people who have what you want –ask them about themselves.
• Seek out spiritual teachers, guides for growth.

 6. Reach Out:

• Embrace your extended family
• Reach out to larger community by having work & community ties
• Seek those who nurture a sense of meaning and identity
• Connect by having dinner together, seeing movies & traveling together.

7. Experience Civic Engagement:  

• Engage with others (classmates, family and community): run, walk, build, aid others
• Do empowering activities such as helping others. 
• Volunteer. 

8. Build Resilience with your Culture:

• Allow the role of ceremonies to bring you comfort
• Learn more about your culture: ask older family members
• Connect to your cultural community: picnic, dance, celebrate.

 9. Create Meaning and Purpose in Life:

• Focus on what you believe you can control
• Find value and/or your inner purpose from your own difficulties
• Improve peer relationships, 
• Have the willingness to seek help, see a counselor or a healer
• Believe in yourself, be persistent
• Be a gift to others
• Know that you are loved, you always have been, you always will be!

by Lynne Cockrum-Murphy, Ed.D.