Photo by Alfred Aloushy on Unsplash
Can resilience be learned? If you read last week’s blog, you know that the answer is absolutely. We can equip ourselves and our children to cope better with stress, adversity, and hardship through resilience building. Think of resilience like a muscle, the more you use it, the stronger it gets. There are several ways to develop resilience and I’ve created an acronym to make it easier to remember. The word is CONQUER! The first way to build resilience is through connections. I believe that life is all about relationships and people need people, so having social support and relationships are extremely important in coping. The next element is optimism which has everything to do with attitude and outlook. When we’re able to keep things in perspective and focus on the big picture things are not as overwhelming. Being able to nurture and take care of ourselves enables us to deal with stress. Of course, exercising, eating properly, getting adequate rest, having downtime, maintaining a routine and laughter help us cope with hardship. The quest can be an opportunity for growth, self-discovery, and character building. When we re-frame a negative experience and recognize the benefits of change, we become stronger and more resilient. Taking decisive action and choosing to be unflappable in the face of adversity creates a sense of empowerment and builds resilience. Accepting change and having an expectant attitude means knowing that life never stands still. This helps us in dealing with the inevitable twists and turns of life. Lastly, being relentless and deciding that quitting is not an option and remaining goal-driven builds resilience. Don’t forget the famous quote from Thomas Edison, “genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.”
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