World Mental Health Day - 9 ways to build resilience

COVID-19 has triggered a global financial crisis and due to strict adoption of lockdown measures, the magnitude of poor mental health is increasing across the world  apparently. The ‘New Normal' each week hopes to bring you the positive outcome but the fear of contracting the virus is making it difficult for people to live through these unparalleled times. All we need is to go back to basics and work on maintaining your mental health where it currently is by sculpting resilience on a daily basis. Bouncing back to resilience is a healthy pathway to cope with stress, fear and anxiety; resilience will make you, the people you care about and the community more stronger. The bounce-back-ability is a kind of “miracle drug” personality trait, something that can heal all wounds and right all wrongs. It is a wonderful trait to have as it is related to a plethora of positive outcomes, and—perhaps most important of all—it can be improved. Resilient outcome doesn’t come about as a result of something particularly earth shattering happening, it’s just like everyday stuff, like getting a teacher to give a bit more attention to a particularly weak or disadvantaged student. 

According to history, prior to Thomas Edison getting the final outcome, he actually produced thousands of prototypes of the incandescent light bulb. And due to such phenomenal trials and inventions, he was awarded more than 1,000 patents. All these failures were reported to be 10,000. Despite such numerous failures throughout his entire career, he was resilient and never gave up. All this failure would have simply generated an example for him to not to continue with the invention. But it was his resilience which gave the world some of the most iconic inventions of the 20th century, such as the phonograph, the telegraph, and the motion picture. 

Buoyancy vs Resilience 

It is different from buoyancy. Buoyancy is a  capacity to overcome setbacks, challenges, and difficulties that are part of everyday life; whereas resilience is a capacity to overcome acute and/or chronic adversity that is seen as a major threat to a person’s development. Psychological resilience is the ability to mentally or emotionally cope with any adversities. It is to build a solid strength and fortitude to overcome any challenges, and keep pursuing or moving forward towards our dream and aspirations.  Resilience (or resiliency) is our inner ability to adapt the situation as it is and bounce back when things don't go as per the strategy. People who are resilient don’t wallow or dwell on failures, instead they acknowledge the situation, learn from their mistakes and then look forward to the future. 

According to the research, resilience  contains 5 essential element - 

1. Knowing inner-self - Your inner self is who you really are on the inside. To know your inner self is to know your purpose, values, vision, goals, motivations, and beliefs. Your inner self is who you really are on the inside. To know your inner self is to know your purpose, values, vision, goals, motivations, and beliefs.
2. Challenge – Resilient people encompass an adverse situation as a challenge and not as a paralyzing phenomenon. They look at their failures and mistakes as lessons to be learned from, and as opportunities for growth in future. They don't view themselves as a negative reflection on their abilities or self-worth.
3. Analyzing situations - Resilient people are very good at analyzing any negative situation and turn the situation into a positive phenomenon. 
4. Commitment – Resilient people possess a strong sense of commitment. they ought to be more committed to their lives and their goals. Commitment isn't just restricted to their work – they are committed to their relationships, their friendships etc. 
5. Self control - People with resilience, focuses only on self-regulation and self-control. They like to  invest their time and energy focusing on situations and events that they have control over. They put their time and effort where they can have the most impact, they feel empowered and confident in. 

Resilient people are just like bamboo in a hurricane—they bend rather than break. Or, even if they feel like they’re broken for a time, there’s still a part of them deep inside that knows they won’t be broken forever. Here's 9 ways to build resilience - 

1. Cognitive Restructuring - Do you often find yourself “stuck in your own head,” caught in endless spirals of negative thinking? Try cognitive restructuring! It is a simple but powerful technique for identifying and undoing negative thinking patterns like worry and rumination. When thought patterns become destructive and self-defeating, it's a good idea to explore ways to interrupt and redirect them. That's what cognitive restructuring can do.
2. Sleep is vital - Sleep is a vital component of every person's overall health and well-being, often neglected. It reinvigorates the body and prepares it for another day. Getting adequate rest may also help prevent excess weight gain, heart disease, and increased illness duration. Poor sleep is linked to physical problems such as a weakened immune system and mental health problems such as anxiety and depression.
3. Maintain perspective. Resilient people are well-versed with the fact that although a situation or crisis may seem overwhelming in the moment, it may not make that much of an impact over the long-term. Remind Yourself of Your Priorities. Doing the “things that matter most” is all well and good – but it requires actually knowing what your priorities are.
4. Physical Wellness - Physical activity in any kind is a great way to keep you physically healthy as well as improving your mental wellbeing. Research shows that doing physical exercise influences the release and uptake of feel-good chemicals called endorphins in the brain.
5. Building Social Connections - Being social enables you to interact with these people and relate to them in a positive manner. People with social connection helps build our resilience and  improve our physical and mental health, and help us cope with life stress.
6. Thought awareness - People with resiliency don’t let any negative thoughts destroy their efforts. Instead they consistently work upon restructuring a positive mindset.
7. Empathetic and compassionate: Resilient people don’t think of themselves as a victim. They don't waste time worrying what others think of them. They maintain healthy relationships, but don't bow to peer pressure.
8. Balanced diet - A recent study found that a balanced diet (a diet high in vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, beans, cereals, grains, fish, and unsaturated fats such as olive oil.) supplemented with fish oil led to a reduction in depression among patients. To boost your mental health, focus on eating plenty of fruits and vegetables along with foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon. Dark green leafy vegetables in particular are brain protective. Nuts, seeds and legumes, such as beans and lentils, are also excellent brain foods.
9. Spirituality - Spiritual resilience comes by cultivating gratitude and counting your blessings. Be thankful for what you do have rather than focusing on what you're missing. Build optimism and be positive. Accept the past and focus on the future.