ANOLENE THANGAVELU PILLAY
Life is not easy, but by dedicating ourselves to growing into tougher individuals, we can convert challenges into successful outcomes.
It is a fact that tough times do not last, but tough individuals do. Acquiring mental toughness demands a certain degree of resilience.
The word resilience is often associated with positive mental health. Actually, it is a term borrowed from engineering where it is used to describe the ability of a substance or an object to regain its original shape.
In the same way that a material object would require strength and flexibility in order to bounce back, so too does an individual require these characteristics in order to be mentally resilient.
Some individuals are quick to recover from personal failures and setbacks; others find it much more challenging. Are you able to quickly recover from life’s setbacks and adapt to new circumstances? Wouldn’t it be great if you could switch channels to listen to possibilities and positivity? Are you feeling completely overwhelmed and lack confidence in your ability to handle challenges?
Learning to be resilient is a skill that can help you adapt easily to life’s harsh challenges. Change is painful, but nothing is as painful as staying stuck in the same thought pattern. It’s common for changes to occur unexpectedly and the worst may include the death of a loved one, job loss or the end of a relationship.
These difficulties often test our resilience. Adopting a resilient personality type can help manage unexpected difficulties by incorporating positive thinking, anxiety control, visualisation, goal setting and attentional control to acquire mental resilience.
The four C’s – control, commitment, challenge and confidence – are crucial for mental toughness. Control is the extent to which you believe you are in control of your life, emotions and sense of life's purpose.
By taking proactive control of your well-being, you can establish positive habits and thinking styles to cultivate mental resilience. A sense of control over your life is necessary for you to bounce back from setbacks. Having a positive approach to ongoing self-awareness, commitment and a greater confidence is key to your path to mental toughness. Despite the everyday distractions, strive for success by being strong-willed and focused.
Challenges should be seen as a guided path that offers possibilities for new learning, helping you discover who you are. If you adopt a resilient personality style, you are more likely to bounce back faster. Resilience is the secret ingredient. Resilient individuals are capable of shifting gears and letting go.
The reason some individuals lack resilience is that they hold on to things after others have moved on. Continually strive towards your goals that will lead you back to your chosen path. It’s the act of overcoming challenges that makes life meaningful.
Living a meaningful life is only possible through optimal mental resilience, which recognises that only you have the power to lift yourself up. It is all within your own mind. What matters is how you think.
To achieve your personal best, think about new strategies, new coping techniques or redirect your energy to creating a new vision plan. Nurture a positive view of yourself and move confidently in the direction of your dreams. You alone are enough. Simply, realise the importance of the beauty, simplicity and miracle of life.
Reflecting on past experiences and the support of loved ones can provide you with guidance. Difficulties have the potential to cause us to perceive things with mixed emotions. Yet, flexible thinking helps us think outside the box so we can identify new insights, possibilities and routes to get us there.
Various personalities from around the globe can provide unwavering support through support networks. By effectively strategising on your strengths and abilities, future focus can assist you in finding new direction. If you experience discouragement, it’s likely that the last key in the bunch will open the lock, and maintain a hopeful outlook.
Recognise that challenges are temporary, moving past them with resilience can be fulfilling. Use higher reasoning to separate the reality of a challenge from your natural emotional reaction. Take the time to respond mindfully by using your energy levels more efficiently.
Finding ways that work for you as part of your personal strategy is key. Though resilience is a complex concept, it is defined differently for the various cultural contexts.
Mental resilience is certainly something that can be built upon through hard-work, discipline, willpower and positive functioning in the outcome of adversity. The way you react to adversity, not the adversity itself, is what determines the development of your life’s story.
Capitalise on your own resilient strengths as resilience shines our brilliance. The word “unbelievable”, comes to mind as brilliance and resilience go hand-in-hand. Both are meant to shine bright. Realise, you are a diamond and most importantly, strive to be a cut above the rest.
Anolene Thangavelu Pillay is a Psychology Advisor.
Daily News