Develop Resiliency to Face Life’s Challenges

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — Do you know someone who could be classified as a “drama queen” or “drama king?” These individuals make a big deal about everything and complain about the dramatic details of something as simple as someone being late for a meeting or being stuck in traffic. How do you feel when you’re around them – energized or drained?  Odds are you feel drained – especially if you let yourself get sucked in by their stories.

Now think about someone you know who is just the opposite – who inspires you and whose presence energizes you. Such individuals tend to have a natural energy and seem optimistic even in the worst of circumstances. What’s their secret? They are resilient.

“Resiliency is about building your capacity to be able to deal with life’s challenges, pressures, major changes, and stress,” says Rosie Ward, MPH, CHES, the health and wellness coordinator at Northwestern Health Sciences University in Bloomington, Minn. “It is not about blowing off everything and being naively positive; it’s about being able to accurately assess a situation and know how much attention you need to devote to it. It’s also about giving yourself time to recuperate after a difficult challenge.”

Ward offers these some simple tips for becoming more resilient:

• Put things into perspective. When faced with an adverse situation, ask yourself “is this going to be a big deal a week from now, a month from now, a year from now?” If the answer is “no,” then save yourself the energy of dwelling over it and look at it differently.
• Be mindful of what comes out of your mouth. Your mind has incredible power over your body. Self-defeating thoughts and words stop you and keep you from moving past life’s challenges; so change your dialogue and you’ll change your outcomes.
• Practice acts of gratitude. Sometimes being thankful for the little things in life can make a big difference. Rather than dwelling on what “almost happened,” be appreciative of what didn’t happen (i.e. almost getting in a car accident versus being spared).
• Live in the present moment. We are human beings, not human doings yet we go through life doing one thing after another. Try stopping and being present when life gets hectic – it might change your perspective.
• Pay it forward, but be authentic. Start spreading acts of good will for no particular reason. Stop doing things for others in the hopes you’ll get something in return.
• Stop settling. Think of all the things in your life that you’re not happy with and are simply putting up with or enduring, such as your health, a bad relationship with a co-worker, or another difficult situation. Stop settling and start demanding more for yourself.
• Give yourself a break. Our bodies are not meant to be pushed non-stop. Yet we live our lives at warp speed rushing from one challenge to another and filling our lives with daily hassles. You need to build in recovery time for you and replenish your well. The most loving thing you can do for yourself and those you care about is to take “me” time. If you don’t, you won’t be good to anyone!

For additional resources on developing resiliency, go to http://www.nwhealth.edu/nns, a Web site focusing on natural approaches to health and wellness hosted by Northwestern Health Sciences University.

Editor’s note: The Natural News Service is a public information program provided by Northwestern Health Sciences University. If you choose to use this release, please attribute the information accordingly. The University offers a wide array of choices in natural health care education including chiropractic, Oriental medicine, acupuncture, therapeutic massage and integrative health and wellness. The University has 900 students on a 25-acre campus in Bloomington, Minn.