THE SCIENCE OF BUILDING RESILIENCY

THE SCIENCE OF BUILDING RESILIENCY

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I have not failed. I have found 10,000 ways that won't work- American Inventor, Thomas Edison

The last few years are the true definition of hard times. From the global pandemic to the worsening economy, to bad security and other never-ending political tensions.

Navigating the world outside your comfort zone especially leaving home and having to go out and fend for yourself is sometimes challenging for the young people. To live and survive is not child's play. As a matter of fact, it takes more than just the will to survive; it takes resilience - the ability to overcome hardship and stress and bounce back when things do not go as planned and this most time doesn't come with the genes.

The truth of the matter is things would not always go as planned, the question is, how do you make a comeback when you are battled with challenges from all corners? The answer is Resiliency and this is something that must be learned and cultivated by young people. Truly no one is capable of preventing themselves from experiencing deep sadness, stress or setbacks but the good news is that we can nurture our ability to cope and grow from difficult and unpleasant experiences.

Below are 5 science proven ways young people can grow and cultivate the spirit of resiliency in the face of challenges.

1. Practice Thought Awareness
The concept of thought awareness is to dwell constantly on positive thoughts cognitively. Negative thoughts can be like a burden, don't allow them weigh you down. Also, it means listening to your mind talk(yeah your mind talks, you have to pay attention). Whenever things do not go as planned or go wrong, making assertive declarations can correct those negative thoughts.
Make a good list of your relevant good qualities, re-read that list every single day and meditate on it. Over time they will form the base of your actions in making decisions in the face of challenges.

2. Have you learnt a Lesson?
Someone once said "Only a fool keeps doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."
Mistakes aren't just mistakes, they are pointers and guides to teaching you something important. Always look for the lesson in every situation. Often crisis situations such as job loss or breakdown of a relationship are opportunities to re-evaluate and make changes.

So instead of losing sleep over spilt milk, observe,re-assess, what could have gone wrong and how can it be prevented at later times. Let your mistakes be a guide for better decisions making and planning.

3. What's your response?
Remember we all experience hard times and we all go through our share of crises at one time or the other. Over this, we mostly have no control over but what we do have control over is our response. We can choose to react with panic and negativity or we can choose to remain calm and think logically to find a solution. How we react is always a choice, because, in the long run, challenges might be forgotten, but what would always be remembered is how we felt and what we did about those challenges.

4. Build your Self-Confidence

To be resilient is to be confident that you are going to succeed eventually despite the setbacks you might experience or have experienced. The belief in yourself would enable you to take more risks and make important decisions. By developing a certain level of confidence in ourselves, we do not just possess the strength to keep moving forward but are also equipped with the ability to take on new challenges to go ahead in life.

Be kind to yourself and take some time out. Inwardly praise yourself for a job well done, give yourself a treat, celebrate your success and tell yourself that you are doing well. No one likes a show-off but mentioning a success to a friend and patting yourself on the back will go a long way in boosting your self-morale.

5. Developing Strong and Healthy Relationships
Healthy relationships with families, relatives and friends tend to reinforce resistance to stress. This same principle also applies to personal life; the more love we can share with our loved ones and the genuine relationship we are able to develop with friends, the more resilient we tend to be. It is all based on a strong support system.
seek connections, make connections and always seek help whenever you need it. life would most likely treat you like you treated others, there be emphatic and compassionate.

Resilience is not developed overnight but over time with deliberate and conscious efforts aimed at becoming better than who you were yesterday. So take that bold step today toward building and cultivating your resilient spirit. Sayonara✌️

Thanks for reading

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