Life happens. There’s very little one can do to prepare for when the happening is difficult, tragic, or painful. Despite that, there’s hope for us.
The hope to make it through life’s valleys in one piece lies in building resilience. According to the American Psychological Association, resilience is, “the process and outcome of successfully adapting to difficult or challenging life experiences, especially through mental, emotional, and behavioral flexibility and adjustment to external and internal demands.”
The key to building resilience is strong self-care practices, habits, and rituals. There have been entire curriculums written about the concept of self-care. For the sake of brevity, we’ll explore just three core areas of the concept.
- Physical Self-Care – We are bodies, and our bodies are us. It’s important to give our bodies what they need in order to feel well. This includes eating healthy and nutritious foods, getting enough sleep and rest, and doing some king of exercise each day. Practicing these things can help us build resilience.
- Mental-Emotional Self-Care – We are also our minds! Feelings of depression and anxiety, ruminating thoughts, and anger are more common than you think. Healthier habits such as regular meditation or prayer, talking to a therapist, and journaling can make a significant positive difference in one’s resilience.
- Social Self-Care – We are not meant for isolation. Since the beginning of time, humans have been in community with each other. Scheduling regular time with your close friends, reserving family game/movie nights, or attending support groups can help improve your resilience.
Resilience allows us to weather life’s storms without getting torn apart. The storms will come, but practicing good self-care gives us a stronger foundation to stay standing.
If you or someone you know needs help building better self-care practices, The Willow Center is here for you. Give us a call!
Written by Chase Cotten, Community Director
Reviewed by Ashley English, LAC
