Day 10: Building Resilience in Challenging Times

Hello everyone, I hope you are doing well. This post is part of the 25 Days of Gratitude, Self-Care, and Personal Growth event at 7 Cups. 

Difficult times can test your resilience, but they also allow for building resilience and a progressive mindset. Resilience is the ability to bounce back from adversity, adapt to change, and find strength in the face of difficulty. It's a skill that can be developed and strengthened over time, and it's imperative in challenging times.

The holiday season is often seen as a time of joy and celebration. However, it can also present different challenges for many. While the festive vibes tend to bring people together and have some good times, for many it can be a time of loneliness, stress, grief, and financial challenges. 

Some of the common challenges during the holiday one may experience range from pressure to maintain a facade of happiness and joy to individuals who lost their loved ones experiencing loneliness and grief. So, it is important to acknowledge those emotions and experiences and understand holidays can be challenging for many people. 

So to build resilience this holiday season or during challenging times, here are some tips that I found helpful and I hope you all can as well: 

Start with a pause.

To become resilient, it starts with knowing how your brain works. When you are dealing with stress, your brain works differently. So, instead of an instant reaction to anything, if one can try to take a pause, it can help you respond to stress in a better way. 

Focus on developing healthy habits.

When there is a challenge, it is hard to maintain routine and one can have trouble bouncing back if they are not taking care of their well-being. So, it is important to focus on maintaining a daily routine and developing healthy habits. 

Have a problem-solving mindset.

It can be hard to cope with and navigate challenging times. However, trying to have a problem-solving mindset encourages you to view these challenges as an opportunity to learn something new and explore solutions or ways to tackle these challenges. 

Celebrate small wins.

When you are experiencing challenging situations, it is important to identify and celebrate all small wins. Recognizing and appreciating these small wins allows you to feel more confident and empowered to deal with challenges and continue to take your small steps forward. 

Resilience is a journey, not a linear process.

The process of building resilience isn’t linear at all. It is more like a zigzag curve where someday you will be making some good gains and some days will be harder to make any progress. But that’s okay. It is part of the resilience process and your every step is counting towards it. So every time, there is a harder day, give yourself a pat and credit that you’ve gotten this far and you can take on the next thing that comes your way. 

Questions for you: 

1. How is the holiday season challenging for you? 
2. What steps can you take today to further develop your resilience?