How to improve resilience, or mental toughness?

It's different when it comes to the mind. There's even a word Resilience, which also means immunity, but psychological, sounds quite alien. Not to mention that we are not taught how to take care of this area. And yet this is an extremely important issue, and not seasonally, but throughout the year. It is about how our body reacts to stress and whether it is able to neutralize its negative impact quickly enough, not only on the mood, but also on the body.

Resilience — an acquired or an innate trait?

Like “traditionally” resilience, resilience is naturally greater in some of us. Such people cope better with traumatic experiences, are more flexible in dealing with the challenges of life, and do not experience as strong somatic symptoms of stress. This is largely influenced by the individual character, but also by the upbringing and support of the environment. And this is good news, because it means that there are external factors, dependent on us, that support resilience. As a result, we can build it, as well as resistance to seasonal colds.

How can mental resilience be increased?

People with strong resilience are often people who use the strength of a supportive environment — family, friends, circle of acquaintances. It is worth creating such facilities and using his support when we feel worse. Interestingly, helping also builds our mental strength, which is why it is so important to nurture relationships.

It will come as no surprise if we say that mental resilience and self-confidence go hand in hand. People who have confidence in their decisions and do not succumb to excessive self-criticism, cope much better in stressful situations. As you can see, the benefits of cultivating this trait is much more.

A good shield to protect us from the effects of stress will also be optimism. Of course, this is not about falling into the trap of positive thinking and experiencing further disappointments. Rather, we are talking about an attitude that makes us approach possible problems creatively, focusing on action, rather than assuming failure in advance. This sense of agency goes hand in hand with self-confidence, but it also requires faith in success. Helplessness, the belief that “I'm not going to make it anyway,” makes stress take over and the trauma harder to process.

Can optimism be learned?

Of course. For example, by asking yourself the right questions that challenge the negative belief. It sounds complicated, but in reality it is extremely simple. Let's assume that friends canceled the visit we were waiting for. The negative belief is that we are certainly not as important to them as they are to us, maybe even at all. Some of us further catastrophize the future, thinking, for example, that the whole relationship with friends is slowly but inexorably moving towards cooling down or even breaking off contacts. The training of an optimistic approach here is to challenge these assumptions. Let us ask ourselves what other reasons may be behind the cancellation of visits, after all friends have the right to get sick or take care of some urgent matter. Then we analyze this situation rationally - can one evening upset a long-standing friendship? And finally, we assume some action that will make us regain control of the situation — for example, we decide that tomorrow we will propose a different date for the meeting. Such a pattern of behavior is proposed by the American psychologist Prof. Martin Seligman, describing his methods as positive psychology.

Some psychologists also pay attention to practicing gratitude as a way to build a positive attitude towards the world. Regardless of what day we had, before going to sleep, let's make a list of things that went well. Let's appreciate our achievements, but also the favors of loved ones and everything else that makes us feel good. This will help us gain a helpful attitude in difficult times.

What else can we practice to gain resilience?

It turns out... a body. Taking care of a proper diet, activity and proper sleep will serve not only our health, but also our resistance to stress.

However, it happens that despite the efforts, building resilience comes with difficulty or becomes completely impossible. There can be many reasons, headed by strong, unworked traumas or a lack of security from an early age. Then the ideal solution will be to seek the help of a therapist.

Why is it so important? Resilience is our shield from the difficulties that life will often bring us. It depends to a large extent on her whether we come out stronger or even more agitated. Remember that prevention is much better than cure.

How to build mental resilience?

• Cultivate friendships and surround yourself with supportive people.
• Strengthen self-confidence.
• Don't assume failure — take an optimistic approach to life.
• Practice gratitude.
• Take care of proper diet and exercise.
• If you can't do it on your own — seek the help of a specialist.