Emotional resilience: Here are 10 proven ways to build your own

Scholars, business experts, and the most successful people on the planet agree that the key ingredient in a life well-lived is resilience.

Emotional resilience is a human ability to continue pursuing something with the belief that it is attainable, whether that be a job, money, love, or overcoming disease.

Persevering over great obstacles is attributed to resilience during every step of the way, and even when things go sideways, emotionally resilient people continue to believe in themselves, and in something bigger than themselves helping them on their way.

Want to learn how you can overcome things in your life? Here are 10 traits of people with emotional resilience.

1) Know their limits

Emotionally resilient people understand that the pain and discomfort they are feeling during troubling times is only temporary.

They recognize that these feelings won’t last forever and they are more willing to sit with the discomfort knowing it will end eventually instead of thinking about how long the issue or pain may continue to plague them.

2) Surround themselves with support networks

Emotionally resilient people often turn to their strengths and supporting networks during difficult times in their lives. They know there is no benefit to trying to take on the world alone.

They are open and candid about their feelings and the things standing in their way and they trust the input of those they have surrounded themselves with to help them move forward.

3) Are very self-aware

Emotionally resilient people are really tuned in to their own thoughts and feelings and can recognize when they have brought pain or discomfort on themselves.

They understand that while we cannot control the world around us, we cannot control how we react to that world. Resilient people tap into that knowledge and ensure that they are not bringing the discomfort on themselves.

4) Take things as they come

Resilient people know that there are going to be good times and there are going to be bad times. That’s what being human is all about.

You will never hear these people say “why me?” because they know that everything has a purpose. They look for how difficult situations could help them improve rather than how it might tear them down.

5) Practice mindfulness

Staying in the moment is very difficult for people, especially with so much distraction and noise in our world. Emotionally resilient people know how to turn off the noise and focus on how they are feeling.

They ask themselves what thoughts are causing those feelings. They wonder about how their own minds are interpreting situations instead of blaming those situations or feelings on others.

6) Know it’s okay to not have all the answers

Nobody has all the answers; although, many people would like you to think they do. Resilient people continue to learn and grow at a rate that is comfortable for them, but they are not afraid to ask questions, nor are they afraid to say they don’t have all the answers.

People who are emotionally resilient are secure in their knowledge and want to know more, not pretend they already do.

7) Practice self-care

Our emotional resilience can only get us so far. Our bodies need to be ready to manage those emotions and process them in a way that is beneficial to us.

Emotionally resilient people know this and they practice self-care on a regular basis. This means getting enough sleep, eating well, and getting a good dose of activity.

Not only does it help their body function better, but it helps their brain to be ready for all the negative thoughts and difficulties that might arise in life.

8) Ask for help

Even the strongest people need help sometimes. Emotionally resilient people know they cannot take on the world alone, and although they are very good at managing their own emotions, they need help from time to time.

They know that part of being emotionally resilient is that they know when they are over their limits.

10) Wonder about options

Emotionally resilient people never turn a cheek on a possibility. They continue to believe that even if things are terrible, there is a way out.

It might take time, and it might be a lot of effort, but resilience is about continuing to look for opportunities where others may have given up already.

11) Get out of their own way

Resilient people know that humans are their own worst enemies and emotionally resilient people will get out of their own way to let the universe guide them.

They don’t pretend to know all the answers and they don’t pretend to know the path forward. They accept that they have to just give in sometimes and that helps them get where they are going.

So whether you are trying to get more out of life, or you are trying to overcome a difficult situation in your life, becoming emotionally resilient is one way to improve all aspects of your life. It doesn’t make you weak for showing your feelings.

It puts you in a unique position to have more control over your life. Resilience is about getting up every day. Even on the days when all you want to do is hide away.

One step at a time is sometimes all resilient people can muster, but the difference is that they continue to muster the energy to take that one step.

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