Mental resilience can be defined as the ability to adapt to challenging or adverse situations. Being resilient help us harness inner strength to cope with setbacks and challenges so we can quickly bounce back from them.
Now more than ever, we need to develop mental resilience to deal the complications that results from the coronavirus pandemic, such as adjusting to the global changes, kids online learning, job reposition or loss, illness or the loss of a loved one.
Follow these three tips to maintain and build mental resilience for life’s unfavorable moments.
Monitor your Thoughts
One of the biggest barriers to mental resilience is having a negative perception of the situations or challenges that we are facing. When we view things through a negative lens, our ability to have a successful outcome will diminish.
Negative thoughts can rob us of our ability to get through rough patches and cause us to become stagnated by believing we can’t. We should replace those negative voices with a “we can” attitude. This newly adapted attitude will help us overcome obstacles. As a result, we will position ourselves on the right path to be successful in spite of our situations. We can maintain positive thoughts and attitudes by starting each day with gratitude, express positive self-affirmation, celebrate small accomplishments, and associate ourselves with positive people.
Exercise Regularly
Regular physical activity has been shown to increase strength and fitness, help maintain healthy weight, and shield us various diseases. However, research has also proven that exercise have a positive effect on our brain function and promotes not only a strong and healthy body, but also a strong and healthy mind.
When we exercise, our bodies release hormones that improve our mood. This positive effect on our psychological well-being, help us reduce stress and anxiety, improve our sleep and help us build resilience to cope with life’s challenges. Strive to exercise for at least thirty minutes per day, five days per week.
Nourish your Mind and Body
The mind and body respond to what they receive. If we feed our bodies with wholesome thoughts and our minds with wholesome food, we will experience a strong mind and body. When we focus on positivity and nourish our minds with things that are positive and pure, we are building mental resilience. When we daily focus on the good in life and gravitate towards material and people who are uplifting and positive, we are equipping ourselves to be able to successfully cope in hard times.
Other great ways to build mental strength is by healthy eating and proper hydration. Maintaining a clean diet of quality carbohydrates, protein, fruits and vegetables, good fat and optimal hydration supports brain function and reduce stress through the regulation of hormones. Drinking two liters or half gallon of water each is a recommended amount to stay hydrated.
Summary
Mental resilience help us successfully cope with setbacks and challenges and quickly bounce back from them. Create an environment of positive thoughts and attitudes to suppress negative perception and attract positive outcomes. Exercise regularly to maintain a strong and healthy mind, and nourish your mind and body with wholesome thinking, healthy food and proper hydration.
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Written by: Veronica Campbell Brown
Veronica is a multiple Olympics and World Championships gold medalist in the sport of Track and Field, wife, mother, author, entrepreneur, philanthropist and motivational speaker. She is the owner of VCB FIT.
