I recently took part in a webinar, the discussion was around who was taking care of HR while they’re busy taking care of others and how working on one’s mental resilience can help us cope with the tsunami of changes taking place, not only at work but in our private lives, too.
Without stating the obvious, I believe this is an issue EVERYONE should be addressing right now.
It is time to ask ourselves what Resilience actually means to us as individuals and find ways to build it.
To me: resilience is something I try to embrace to counter the uncontrollable flow of life and bring control to how it impacts my mental wellbeing. It’s instrumental in promoting a culture of confidence within myself, it helps me learn from failures and amongst many other things: resilience affords me the time to respond constructively to problems and criticism.
Here are just a few ways to build resilience:
We talk about practicing self-care all the time but with so many options, where do we start? I am sure many of you are familiar with the proverb: You must learn to crawl before you walk. Well - I completely agree - Start small!
The way you treat your body influences your resilience: healthy food and regular exercise can drastically reduce your level of stress and reinforce your mindset.
For starters (pardon the pun), try to develop healthier eating habits. Instead of reaching for the quick bag of crisps or chocolate bar, plan your meals. It doesn’t take that much longer to make a healthy salad or delicious sandwich. Not only will your energy levels be more consistent throughout the day, but your body will be receiving some proper nourishment.
Regular exercise. Let’s get our bodies moving! Exercise can have a profoundly positive impact on our mental health. It helps relieve anxiety and stress, improves memory and (this is a big one) helps you sleep better! All of these play a big role in building resilience, you don't have to be a fitness fanatic to reap the benefits. Start by walking 30 minutes a day and you will begin to notice how your health and overall mood improves.
Adopt a Growth Mindset: Believing that your most basic abilities can be developed through dedication & hard work helps develop resilience.
· Try seeing your failures as an opportunity to grow.
· A few ways to do this is by replacing the word ‘failing’ with ‘learning’.
· When cultivating and considering your sense of purpose, try to value the process over the end result. Task yourself to view challenges as opportunities.
· Exercise Self-Empathy by acknowledging that like all human beings, you deserve understanding and compassion.
Practice mindfulness and eliminate self-judgment. Instead of dipping into social media feeds (this very often just results with us comparing ourselves to others), read a book or take an online course on the nature and practices of empathy and if that doesn't resonate there is always yoga and meditation to turn to.
I suppose the most important way in building our self-awareness, mindfulness and resilience is to not allow ourselves to settle for an environment that belittles or tears us down. Never allow anyone to devalue your work and efforts.
Practice self-care by making time for yourself, family & friends and wherever possible, try to avoid toxic relationships and sinister agendas.
MOST IMPORTANTLY- Stop being so hard on yourself.
The last months have had its challenges, let’s work together and turn things around. It starts with each one of us and as Malala Yousafi famously quoted:
“We cannot all succeed when half of us are held back.”
More tips on how to build resilience in this video
Productivity & Wellbeing Director
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