Cultivating mental resilience allows you to better deal with stressors and challenges. You won’t feel stumped when met with adversity in your life. Mental resilience is an excellent skill to work on, no matter how you plan to use it.
There are several mindful ways that you can walk this path as well. So, keep reading to learn more about cultivating your mental resilience.
1. Try Somatic Therapy
First, somatic therapy can be beneficial in building your mental resilience. This type of therapy focuses on the mind-body connection, allowing you to become more aware of your body and understand how stress can be physically present in your body.
You’ll learn to use mindful practices to release tension, helping you to become more resilient. Somatic therapy also teaches us to be more mindful through body scans and meditation. You can use these techniques to step back from a stressful situation and decide on the best course of action to take when you’re feeling better.
As you begin to feel more in tune with your body, you’ll learn how to process stressors better, helping you to become more resilient. So, somatic therapy is one of the best places to start when trying to develop this skill.
2. Work on Social Connections
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Next, you’ll want to work more on your social connections. Your loved ones can provide a robust support system that gives you a safe place to share your feelings. You won’t feel as lonely when you work on these connections.
Your friends and family can help you boost your mental resilience by giving you support, comfort, and advice when you want it. They often provide a new perspective to help you remain mindful.
3. Practice Feeling Gratitude
You’ll want to focus on feeling gratitude as part of being mindful. Making it a habit will help you remember all the positive things you have in your life, even when you’re feeling very stressed.
Learning to bring the things you’re grateful for up in your mind when something causes you stress is an important technique. Even in bad situations, you can practice finding something to be thankful for.
Start by affirming the good things in your life, then think about ways others provide your life with good. It can help to keep a journal, so you can return to feeling gratitude later during periods of stress.
4. Keep a Healthy Lifestyle
Taking care of your mental health becomes easier when your body is healthy. You’ll want to eat a balanced diet, sleep well, and exercise regularly.
Our physical health is deeply connected to how we feel. So, when your body feels good, you’ll have an easier time remaining mentally resilient. If you’re not feeling well, becoming impacted by what would otherwise be a small stressor can happen more frequently.
Keeping a healthier lifestyle can also make you more mindful. You must think of what’s best for your body and then pursue it.
5. Learn To Adapt
Life is full of ups and downs, so it’s essential to remain flexible and adapt when something unexpected happens. If you can adapt to changes, then you’ll be much more mentally resilient.
It helps to think of the change in a different light. Instead of viewing it as an inconvenience, take a chance to think of it as an opportunity to grow. Adapting to and embracing change can drastically change how you view your life.
Being able to adapt can help you navigate your mindfulness journey with ease. Here’s a quick breakdown of what you can do:
- Practice your problem-solving skills and try to devise new solutions to the problem.
- Practice stepping out of your comfort zone to become more adaptable to change.
- Keep an open mind to recognize new solutions when they arise.
- Focus on always learning something new.
6. Treat Yourself With Kindness
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Next, make sure that you always treat yourself with kindness. You won’t feel overwhelmed as quickly and can better handle any problems that come your way. You’ll learn to acknowledge your feelings and recognize that you’re not alone and that we all make mistakes.
Treating yourself with kindness also requires you to be mindful since you must remain present. It can take some time, but eventually, you’ll build a habit of catching your negative thoughts and turning them around.
To do this, pay attention to your inner dialogue, then replace overly self-critical thoughts with more supportive ones. You’ll need to practice a lot for this to become a natural reaction, but it’s well worth the change.
7. Set More Realistic Standards
If your standards are too high, they can make you feel more stressed. You’ll want to set aside some time to think about your goals and whether or not they’re achievable. Set goals that still push you to learn and grow without them being too far out of reach.
When you meet your goals, make sure to celebrate them! You should do this even if they’re small wins. Doing so can help you appreciate yourself and how far you’ve come.
8. Develop Your Sense of Purpose
Finally, working more on developing your sense of purpose will help you find meaning in your daily life, making you more resilient. You’ll be able to stay motivated even when stressors are pushing in on your life.
You can do this by developing meaningful and realistic goals, helping others, and considering your positive impact on people. Practicing gratitude can also help you with your sense of purpose.
Changing your mindset to remain open-minded and trying to always be learning something new can also contribute to having a stronger sense of purpose.
Start Your Mindfulness Journey Today
Developing mental resilience takes time, so you’ll want to start soon. Working on your social connections, somatic therapy, and practicing gratitude are good ways to begin your mindfulness journey.
Mindfulness involves listening to your thoughts and remaining present, allowing you to learn to develop your resilience in the most comfortable ways.