For years, research has suggested that success is what makes people feel happy. However, recent studies by the American Psychological Association have found that success occurs through happy people. In other words, emotionally healthy individuals can be successful in work, relationships, and their overall physical health. They are more likely to set and accomplish their goals, and attract others with their energy and optimism. So how can we start a path towards being emotionally healthy and happy? We can start by developing resiliency!
Resiliency is one’s ability to adapt when faced with trauma, tragedy, threats, or stress. These could be due to relationship issues, health problems, or stress in the work place. Resiliency is what allows an individual to experience the emotional pain involved with events, but not drown in them. It helps us to keep pushing forward in life creating potential solutions, and ways to carry ourselves through difficult times.
Want to learn how to develop resiliency? Here are 10 ways to help you get started:
- Make connections Create and maintain good relationships with family, and friends. Accept help and support from those who want to help you. Helping others can also benefit your path to resilience
- Avoid seeing crises as insurmountable problems Try to change your interpretations of negative events. Don’t limit yourself to the present, see yourself into a more positive future
- Accept that change is a part of living Life is an adventure! As part of that journey, there will be a lot changes. When things don’t go the way you planned, come up with a plan B
- Move toward your goals Create goals, and develop a plan on how to execute it. This will help you stay motivated in life towards achieving something, an important role towards resiliency
- Take decisive actions Don’t just sit and wait for problems to wash away, or run from them. Act towards a resolution as much as you can in the situation
- Look for opportunities for self-discovery Take some time for introspection, ask yourself if you have allowed yourself to grow through difficult times
- Nurture a positive view of yourself Be confident in yourself. Trust yourself. Speak positively to yourself.
- Keep things in perspective Take a moment to relax, and try to maintain a positive long-term mentality, rather than focusing too much in the present event
- Maintain a hopeful outlook Focus your outlook on what you want, instead of what you are afraid of
- Take care of yourself The mind and body are interconnected. Engage in activities that you enjoy, spend time with loved ones, exercise regularly. Taking care of yourself physically and emotionally can help greatly with resiliency through difficult times
Some ways in which you can also seek help with resiliency and difficult events are through:
- Self-help and support groups
- Books and other publications
- Online resources
- A licensed mental health professional
It’s time to build a stronger, better you!