What is resilience?
Definition as per the Oxford dictionary: The capacity to withstand or to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness.
Regular wellness practices provide us with a solid foundation of wellbeing, so that when life gets tough we have a certain level of robustness which allows us to better deal with the tough unknowns of life.
Sleep, nutrition, exercise and daily stress management tools are excellent starting points for establishing a solid foundation of wellbeing.
Sleep: Aim for 8 hours per night. Maintain consistent sleep/wake times if possible. Get off screens at least one hour before bed Use blue light blocking glasses or filters if using screens in the evening. Keep devices, including phone, out of the bedroom (use an old school alarm clock). Aim to get outside first thing in the morning to strengthen circadian rhythm & increase evening melatonin production. Try a cup of chamomile tea before bed. Get regular exercise. Practice stress management tools before bed.
Consider supplementing magnesium or other sleep support supplements/herbs.
There is more! Please email me if you’d like my “general sleep advice” information.
ALSO…If you have ANY sleep issues, it’s time to quit coffee and alcohol. Same goes if you have anxiety.
Nutrition: Eat mostly plant foods from nature. Foods that come in packets have been created by humans and will ultimately take from your health over time. Firstly, cut the junk/processed foods as much as possible. Secondly, focus your diet on beans, chickpeas, lentils, organic soy, vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds, & whole grains. Stay hydrated with filtered water – add simple electrolytes if you struggle with hydration or sweat a lot. I like Biotrace as it has no artificial ingredients, just natural minerals.
Exercise: Find what works for you and don’t underestimate the impact of shorter sessions.
Any length of time is good. If you can only spare time for a walk around the block it’s far better than not going at all. Start small and easy to create a consistent habit. With time you can look to increase the length of time you spend moving your body. Can you get friends or family involved to help you stay motivated and accountable? Can you combine exercise into your day somehow – walk to bus or train stop, cycle to work etc.? Choose the path of least resistance when setting yourself up for a regular exercise habit – eg. prepare your gear the night before. Endorphins are incredibly good for your mood and stress levels. The more you exercise the more you’ll miss it if you don’t! Commit. Give it time.Stress management: Find 3-4 things you enjoy and use at least one daily. Ideally one in the morning and one at night as a minimum. Examples: walking, stretching, shakti mat, yoga, cold water therapy, sauna, legs up the wall, 432Hz relaxation music, guided meditation, sleep meditation, deep 4-7-8 breathing or the physiological sigh, tapping/EFT – the options are endless, all you need to be is open to trying what works best for you. Again, even 5 mins is enough to feel better!
Read on for more ways to reduce stress & increase your resilience that you may not have considered before…
Perceptive and perception:
So much that happens in life is out of our control – this is uncomfortable and disconcerting.
Humans love to attempt to control everything! It feels “safe” (the reality is that nothing is certain…except CHANGE and death). The attitude you bring to life’s experiences is entirely up to you.
Basically, you have a choice to not “sweat the small stuff”.
If it isn’t an emergency, is it truly worth giving so much of your mind space, time, and energy to it?
Practice being mindful of how you perceive the happenings in your life and make some changes.
You could enhance relationships, and increase connection with loved ones as a result.
Oh and feel less stressed and more resilient too!
And back yourself, trust yourself – you are a smart human who has endless opportunities available to you.
Reacting versus responding: Again, you have a choice with regards to how you interact with others.
You can either react with deflection, blame, shame, defensiveness, big unruly emotions, and ego leading the way…or you can respond with curiosity, empathy and compassion to get an understanding of where that other person is at, and where they might be coming from.
Remove yourself from the situation if you feel you may REACT rather than RESPOND. Come back to it when you feel calmer and ready to communicate effectively – raw emotions don’t tend to hang about for long.
Humans are complex, there could be many factors involved in reactivity (eg. Tiredness, “hanger”, hormones, grief, family issues, childhood conditioning, past history of abuse/neglect and more!)
You can show up and respond in a curious and compassionate way…AND disagree with others.
Detachment:
Don’t take things personally!!! Free yourself. Let it go. And as per above…we don’t know what others might be going through.
Boundaries:
Protect yourself by knowing where your “line in the sand” is.
You are the only one who can show others what you will and will not tolerate, as far as how they treat you.
Say NO when necessary.
People pleasing is actually a form of manipulation (again, humans attempting to control – or feel less outta control!)…but feels like almost a lifetime of work to overcome!
Never feel pressured to give answers on the spot.
Buy yourself time to reply – “I will have to check my calendar and get back to you”.
Your energy, time and mental capacity is at stake! VALUE it.
If you are a people pleaser who decides to establish boundaries and exercise your “NO”; beware that you will need to double down on your stress management tools as this will feel super uncomfy to begin with! And…others won’t like it much at all as they have been used to you being the ever-reliable YES person.
Choose one thing that you can start implementing today, and go for it!
P.S. If you’d like personalised support on any of these topics, please take a look at my coaching offerings.