The Coronavirus pandemic and its fallout will have affected everyone differently, but there’s one thing we’ve probably all had in common; questioning how resilient we really are in tough times.
Life is full of ups and downs, and every now and again, it throws you a huge curveball. The difference between being at the mercy of everything that happens to us and falling apart, or being able to bounce back and learn lessons we can use for the future is resilience, and in particular, a resilience mindset.
The Coronavirus pandemic and its fallout will have affected everyone differently, but there’s one thing we’ve probably all had in common; questioning how resilient we really are in tough times.
Life is full of ups and downs, and every now and again, it throws you a huge curveball. The difference between being at the mercy of everything that happens to us and falling apart, or being able to bounce back and learn lessons we can use for the future is resilience, and in particular, a resilience mindset.
A fixed mindset versus a growth mindset
Some people are just more resilient than others, but a resilient mindset is something that can be learned and developed.
Psychologist Carol Dweck studied the attitude that students had to failure. She noted that while some students easily bounced back from a setback, others would fall apart. What explained this, she said, was differences in mindset, and she coined the idea of a fixed mindset versus a growth mindset.
According to her theory, a person with a fixed mindset does not really believe that they are capable of growth, improvement, and change, and person with a growth mindset views setbacks as a learning experience that will help them grow.
Becoming resilient is the same sort of idea. If you haven’t dealt well with a disappointment or negative event in the past, you probably think that you’re always going to be crushed when undesirable things happen in life, but this isn’t the case.
You just need to accept that resilience is something you need to work on, then you can get on with the business of developing a resilience mindset.
3 steps to developing a resilience mindset
- Remember what you’ve already been through and survived!
Whenever you find yourself doubting your resilience, remember what you’ve been through in your life. However terrible it was, you’re still standing! This can really help when you’re facing tough situations. You’re probably more resilient than you think or give yourself credit for.
- Focus on what you can control
When things go wrong, do you immediately blame others or external circumstances? Do you believe that situations are rarely within your control? Changing your focus to what you can control can make a huge difference to your resilience. Getting upset and worried about things you can’t control is unhelpful and a waste of precious time and energy.
- Develop helpful coping strategies to build resilience
Something seems to happen to our brains when we’re in a crisis. Anxiety, stress, and sometimes blind panic can make us completely lose clarity of thought and lose sight of how things really are. Often the things that help us deal with stress like exercise, spending time doing things we enjoy, and getting enough sleep can fall by the wayside.
So make sure you put some strategies in place that you can fall back on when the going gets tough, whether it’s going for a walk in nature, calling a friend, or reading a book by one of your favourite authors, it’s an essential step to developing a resilience mindset.
Do you want to learn how to be more resilient and feel more positive about the future?
Book a place on my Resilience Masterclass today!
