Shahid, 25-years-old, often remained worried about his future. He felt that he was running short on time. He would think about his finances and worry about losing his job. Often he would end up in conflicts with his friends because he would get suspicious about losing them as friends. If he would hear bad news about anyone, he would start wondering if the same thing would happen to him. He had a negative outlook towards life. As a result, he developed panic disorder and health ailments. He would break down when he encountered any challenge.

Like Shahid, many of us have been losing the ability to adapt to life-changing and stressful situations. Having been raised in a protective or sheltered environment as children, we often find it difficult to deal with hardships. We find it tough to deal with sadness and endure emotional pain. Our anxiety and discomfort makes us look for quick fixes to resolve the problem immediately. This makes us restless and affects our overall well-being because we prefer short-term fire-fighting process to long-term endurance.

The process of adapting in adversity or bouncing back from difficult experiences such as family and relationship problems, serious health problems or workplace and financial stressors is known as resilience. Research deems resilience as a skill, which could be developed or learned especially during traumatic events. However this begs the question- how do you develop resilience before facing trauma? Let’s look at some strategies for building resilience:
 

• Make Connections: Good relationships with family and friends are very important because support from these relationships would strengthen resilience. Some individuals also get a sense of support and hope from civic and faith based organizations.
   
• Help others in need: Assisting others in need helps you develop empathy and compassion towards other individuals. Experiences of other people serve as learning and helps in developing adaptability.
   
• Accept that change is a part of living. Certain goals may no longer be attainable as a result of adverse situations. Accepting circumstances that cannot be changed can help you focus on things that you have some control over.
   
• Maintain a hopeful outlook. An optimistic outlook enables you to expect that good things will happen in your life. Try visualizing what you want, rather than worrying about what you fear.
   
• Take care of yourself.  Engage in activities that you enjoy and find relaxing. Exercise regularly. Self Care helps to keep your mind and body ready to deal with situations that require resilience.

Remember resilience is a skill that needs to be learned and developed. If you would like to learn more about building resilience, speak to a qualified counselor by calling in at 1800-270-1790.