How can you improve resiliency through effective self-care?

Actually, I disagree with the premise. If we are expecting people to be more resilient in our work environment, then there is a problem with the work environment. Whatever the work environment some people will thrive while most struggle to cope. This is why one person's ideal job is another person's nightmare. Let's see if there are changes that can be made, that do not require people to be resilient in the first place.

In my experience, building resiliency isn't only about weathering a storm; it's learning to dance in the rain. Effective self-care acts as the keel to your sailboat, providing balance and stability as you navigate choppy waters. Consider the foundational ways you recharge—such as adequate sleep and nutrition—with strategic renewal, which could mean carving out time for reflective practice or targeted learning. This blend of activities nurtures physical vitality and emotional and cognitive flexibility. Ultimately, let be the stress or discomfort that is and engage with these elements in a way that broadens your capacities and enriches your journey, allowing you to meet challenges head-on and emerge stronger.

One thing I've found helpful is to quiet the mind of the crazy mental chatter. Taking time to actually train your mind to respond to circumstances with a positive rather than a negative mindset, helps you bounce back quickly from any challenge you face. Learning to go with the flow, rather than trying to swim upstream all the time is also helpful. Accepting what is, and finding gratitude for all that is working well changes your perspective.

For me part of building resilience is first the acceptance that there are going to be tough times and easier times regardless of what is the cause of them. That for me then helps to look to understand what the difficulty is and why, which in turn helps with the solution. To be able to do this I need to have a support network around me. This network can help me bounce ideas & issues around. Hearing how others manage also helps to see what I could do. From this I have become more emotionally intelligent and have focused more on self care in the times I can. It’s not always possible to have the time but I know it’s not forever and I can focus on that once the busy period is over. I find 2/3 min meditation very useful in helping to keep this up

It is always useful to become conscious of the way that external factors affect you personally. It is easiest to keep a journal and note down every moment you feel big emotions. Try to figure out afterwards why the impact was so big. A coach can help you with this topic as well. It is important to keep in mind that you cannot be resilient in everything. For example, if a company is extremely toxic, it is unhealthy to only look at boosting your resilience.

Yes, it is good to be well-rested and live a healthy lifestyle. However, the physical and mental are 100% connected. Your mental state will most definitely affect your physique. Think of a time when you were stressed and your muscles were cramped, your back started hurting and you felt weak. Taking care of your lifestyle is only one part of the equation for physical resiliency.

I wouldn´t use SMART goals to ´fix´ your mental resiliency. In companies, there´s a big focus on ´hard´ skills, actions, and delivery. Mental resiliency is about the opposite: the spiritual part of human beings. Rather than formulating ´hard´ goals and actions on how to improve, try a yoga class. Do sports if that clears your mind, or do something else outside of work that recharges your mental battery. Stress from work usually comes from too much work and a too broad focus. Try to reduce the amount of work but especially try to apply more focus on the things that are important to you. In the end, there should be a solid balance between the spiritual and material.

Working with a mentor or coach can help you build the neural pathways that help shift from old habits of negativity to more positive and creative thinking. Building your mental muscles or neural pathways is as important as building your physical fitness. This helps you to be curious and assists in out of the box thinking to come up with new ways to face challenges. It activates the part of the brain responsible for thriving, rather than just surviving.

Leveraging certain meditative practices can help enhance emotional resiliency. Gratitude practices such as journaling and listing things you are thankful for has been scientifically proven to reduce one’s unnecessary fear response to challenges. Self-Compassion and Loving-Kindness (metta) meditations help reduce judgmental thinking and impose a feeling of compassion and confidence when handling challenges. Taking advantage of these meditative practices on a daily basis, even for a few minutes, can create lasting habits that grow over time. Further, these types of practices have been shown to lengthen neural pathways, reduce self-criticism, and disrupt reactive habit loops, thereby opening the door to more resilience.

One thing I've found helpful is mindfulness practices. Seeing the beautiful child in yourself helps you empathise with yourself and suspend judgement and self criticism. Seeing the innocent child on others does the same. Taking concious note of all your blessings and being grateful for all that is going well helps shift from a place of negativity to more happiness and positive emotions

I believe that having a purpose also helps to strengthen your resilience. Investing time to reflect and formulate it will help you going forward to overcome the hard moments and to reach a sense of fulfillment when progressing towards it.

Taking time to proactively care for ourselves and recharge is the only way we can perform at high levels sustainably. We all need to fill our cups so that we can better fill the cups of others.

What, how, and, when to employ coping mechanisms is complex. If the reason(s) for resilience is because of toxic workplace culture, the environment needs to change. If, and until that happens, coping mechanisms are imperative. Resilience - the ability to bounce back and to survive - although a stand alone concept, is also entangled and intertwined with protective factors and self-care. Protective factors are deep rooted and foundational, and give strength and armor to enter an environment known to be hostile. Resilience strategies aid in operating within a system that is often hostile, providing fortitude to continue engaging. Self-care is a reprieve. An example of this is the use sunscreen and re-application of sunscreen, and use of aloe.