Summary

The article discusses the importance of mental resilience in facing life's challenges, emphasizing that resilience is a flexible mindset rather than an innate trait.

Abstract

The article, authored by Liberty Forrest, delves into the concept of resilience as a crucial tool for navigating difficult times, such as those brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, societal issues, and personal struggles. It highlights that resilience is not a fixed personality trait but rather an adaptable approach to coping with challenges. The author shares personal experiences of overcoming anxiety and adapting to new, daunting situations, illustrating that resilience can be developed by anyone. The piece encourages readers to recognize their own strength and capacity to endure, suggesting that humor, acceptance, and a practical mindset are key strategies for building resilience.

Opinions

Resilience is presented as a dynamic ability to adjust coping mechanisms to suit different challenges, rather than a static character trait.
The author believes that resilient individuals are capable of staying optimistic, accepting harsh realities, and being sociable or seeking solitude as needed.
Resilience is not about stoicism or suppressing emotions but about finding effective ways to process and deal with hardships.
The author shares a personal journey of overcoming crippling anxiety post-marriage by challenging irrational fears and learning to dismiss the negative internal dialogue.
Humor and a practical approach to challenges are recommended as methods for enhancing one's resilience.
The article suggests that worrying about things outside one's control, such as COVID-19 and other people's actions, is counterproductive.
The author encourages self-recognition of one's strength and survival through past experiences, reinforcing the idea that individuals are often stronger than they believe.

With Resilience You Can Face Anything

And it’s not a case of having or not having it

Liberty Forrest, Author has encouraged me to bring articles of hope and inspiration. A tough job for a budding horror writer. I tried to bribe her with dark facts about serial killers and gore, but nah.

Luckily, I came across this article on resilience!

Resilience is something we all need when the news drone on about COVID-19, illegal Christmas parties, murdered children, poverty, and the potential for another lockdown (rein in the doom and gloom, Dina!)

But none of these things matters when you have mental resilience. The good news is that studies have found resilience is not a character trait.

It’s a flexible mindset!

Resilient people adjust their coping mechanisms according to the challenge at hand. They might stay optimistic until they understand they need to accept very bad news. They are sociable until they realise they’d feel better with time alone. Resilience doesn’t mean stoicism, or not feeling things, instead it means finding ways to process hard emotions and deal with the difficulty.

So, whether you are dreading Christmas with your extended family, the potential for another lockdown, or struggling with the winter blues — you don’t have to look far for resilience.

It lives within us all.

I uncovered mine.

Six years ago, I had such crippling anxiety after my marriage that I couldn’t even go to the shop in case there were men there. Sounds stupid, right? Fear is seldom logical — or practical.

Now, not only do I not care if there are men at the shop, but I volunteered my spare time to an outreach service which meant that sometimes drunk, angry men screamed in my face.

That’s okay. I learnt to become resilient to such things.

How did I get to this point?

I stopped listening to my anxiety. That little voice at the back of my head… the one that thought everything’s doomed and everyone’s scary… that voice was lying to me.

I started laughing at it because I didn’t die from going to the shop. Who dies from going to the shop?? Unless there was some freak accident and I was struck down by a tin of baked beans…

When I could survive going shopping, what else could I manage? Little by little, I pushed through and embraced new challenges with a more practical approach until finally, the pandemic hit and my first thought were:

Meh. Can’t be any worse than my first marriage.

To improve your resilience, remember:

Feelings are temporary. Humour is the best remedy. Christmas is a short holiday. COVID is out of our control, so are other people’s actions and opinions, so worrying about it is a waste of energy.

You have survived everything so far.

And you are stronger than you give yourself credit for!

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