Last Quarter Plan - Week 4: Building Resilience for the New Year
As we approach the end of another year, we may reflect on the challenges we faced and how we coped with them. Some of us may have experienced loss, stress, uncertainty, or trauma. Others may have faced difficulties in work, relationships, health, or finances. Whatever the situation, we all need resilience to overcome adversity and bounce back from hardship.
What is Resilience?
Resilience is the ability to adapt to change, cope with stress, and recover from setbacks. It is not a fixed trait that we are born with or without, but a skill that we can develop and improve through practice and experience.
Why do we need to build resilience?
It is important to build resilience as it helps to maintain our well-being, achieve our goals, and grow from our challenges. Studies have shown, resilient people are more self-aware and resourceful and can better engage with life challenges. They are better equipped to meet challenges with skill, energy, and focus. (Ref. 1)
In this blog, I will share five practical techniques and some exercises that you can use to strengthen your mental and emotional resilience. These are based on my experience as a professional coach and positive psychology. By applying these strategies, you can boost your confidence, optimism, and happiness in the new year and beyond.
The Five Techniques are:
Technique #1: Cultivate a growth mindset.
A growth mindset is the belief that you can learn new skills, improve your abilities, and overcome challenges through effort and feedback. People with a growth mindset see difficulties as opportunities to grow and learn, rather than as threats or failures. They are more likely to persist in the face of obstacles, seek feedback, and embrace challenges.
To cultivate a growth mindset, you can:
Replace fixed mindset statements with growth mindset statements. For example,
Celebrate your progress and effort, not just your outcomes. For example,
Set progress measures to celebrate within the project timeline.
Seek feedback and learn from it. For example,
Ask for constructive feedback and use it to improve your performance.
Acknowledge mistakes and learn from them.
Technique #2: Practice gratitude
Gratitude is the feeling of appreciation for what you have and what others do for you. It is one of the most powerful positive emotions that can enhance your well-being, happiness, and resilience. Research shows that gratitude can reduce stress, increase optimism, strengthen relationships, and improve health.
To practice gratitude, you can:
Keep a gratitude journal. Every day, write down three things that you are grateful for and why. They can be big or small things, such as a sunny day, a compliment from a friend, or a good meal. Try to be specific and elaborate on why you are grateful for each thing.
Express gratitude to others. Thank someone who helped you or did something nice for you daily. You can do this in person, by phone, by email, or by text. Be sincere and specific about what you appreciate about them and what they did for you.
Savor the good moments. Take some time to notice and enjoy something positive that happened to you or around you daily. It can be a beautiful scenery, a pleasant conversation, a funny joke, or a tasty food. Pay attention to the details and how they make you feel.
Technique #3: Build social support.
Social support is the feeling of being cared for, valued, and connected to others who share your interests and values. It is one of the most important factors that can protect you from stress, loneliness, and depression. Having strong social support can also boost your self-esteem, confidence, and happiness.
To build social support, you can:
Reach out to your existing network. Contact someone who is important to you or who makes you feel good regularly. It can be a family member, a friend, a colleague, or a neighbor. You can call them, text them, video chat with them, or meet them in person if possible. Share your thoughts and feelings with them and listen to theirs.
Make new connections. Try to interact with someone who is not in your immediate circle but who shares your interests or values to make new connections. It can be someone you meet through professional network or in your community. You can join an online group or forum related to your hobbies or passions. You can attend an event or activity that interests you.
Offer help and support to others. Look for ways to help someone who needs it or who would appreciate it. You can offer your time, skills, resources, or advice. You can give a compliment, a smile, or lend an ear to listen with empathy.
Technique #4: Learn new skills.
Learning new skills is a way of challenging ourselves and expanding our horizons. It can help us to discover new interests and passions, as well as to improve our self-esteem and confidence.
To learn new skills, you can:
Enroll in an online course, join a group, or volunteer for a cause that matters to you and others.
You can also set realistic and achievable goals for learning progress and celebrate your achievements.
Technique #5: Practice self-care
Self-care is the act of taking care of our physical, mental, and emotional well-being. It can help us to reduce stress, enhance our mood, and boost our energy.
To practice self-care, you can:
Adopt healthy habits such as getting enough sleep, eating well, exercising regularly, and practice meditation.
Treat yourself with kindness and compassion and avoid self-criticism or judgment.
The best time to start using these techniques is now. You can start with one of the five techniques to focus on and incorporate in your routine. Then, add another one, and so on.
In Conclusion:
Resilience is a skill that you can build up over time. By practicing these 5 techniques, you will be able to adapt to change more readily, overcome adversity, and bounce back from challenging times while maintaining your well-being, achieve your goals, and continue to grow both personally and professionally with higher performance.
Ref. 1: Resilience: The Key To Future Business Success (forbes.com)
