Resilience Materials
When you are feeling low and need a boost here is a selection of tips that will help you to bounce back and be more resilient and positive about your life.
Sometimes you just need to remember all the positive things that you have achieved in your life so making a list to remind yourself will give you a confidence boost.
Just a quick ten minutes of exercise. Even a quick run up and down stairs, or standing up and stretching and walking about for a bit, will give you an energy boost and get the endorphins going.
If you have something you don’t need or use, and it might be something someone else might need or use, give it to them. It will make you feel good.
You can turn around bad feelings about yourself right away when you channel your energy into making someone feel good about themselves by doing or saying something nice.
Who needs a psychiatrist when you have friends? Friends can be walking, talking tonics and remind you that you are not alone!
Hope is a very important part of being resilient, so set goals and have something to aim for. If you are feeling a bit low, think of something that would like to achieve and create a goal.
Focus on a wonderful, happy memory and take a few minutes to dwell on it. Go through all of the details and relive the experience in your mind and see how good it makes you feel.
Just the very act of smiling tells your brain that you are happy. So, no matter how you feel, focus on turning the corners of your mouth up and smile.
Go and find a living, breathing person and interact with them. Just connecting with another person will help you to feel less isolated and they may say something nice to you that will make you feel better.
Relinquish responsibility to someone else every now and then. If you feel under pressure, sometimes it is good to take the heat out of the situation and let someone else make the decision for you. You don’t always have to be in total control!
Stop and really listen to what you are saying to yourself. Be a detached observer and change your words to words of loving kindness.
Get dressed up even if you are feeling really low. Although it may feel like a huge effort it will be worthwhile because when you look in the mirror and see an attractive person on the outside you will begin to feel better on the inside.
If you are feeling low, choose to have a healthy day. Eat lots of things you know will boost your energy and eliminate all the toxins.
Shake things up a bit and change your routine. Try something different that makes you feel more like a mover and shaker. It will also get you out of any rut you may find yourself in.
Your life experiences will have taught you lots of things, and sharing what you have learnt with others can be useful. Blogging is also a great way to record some of your thoughts, like a public diary.
To divert your mind from negative thinking, look for something that will inspire and uplift you. Short passages of writing and motivational quotes can be really good.
Think of something fun and unexpected for someone that you care about. Planning this will lift your spirits and distract you from feeling gloomy.
Taking something that appears to be complicated and simplifying it can be very therapeutic. Often things are far more complex than they really need to be.
If you developed a rift with someone, even if you don’t feel you are at fault, extend the olive branch and open yourself to healing the rift. Life is too short!
Be that person for someone in your life who could really use your guidance and advice.
In the end, what is more important? Make sure that you invest time, every single day, connecting with the people you love through your time, love, and attention.
Make sure you look after yourself so that you have enough energy for others. So often it is easy to run around trying to be everything to everybody and neglect your own needs. Make sure that you take time each day for you to relax and just be.
Avoid being bullied or shamed into doing something you do not want to do. Do not be afraid of saying no thank you.
Open yourself up to new opportunities and experiences, to new friends and doing things spontaneously. There are so many adventures that you still have yet to embrace.
Stop and rest. Take ten minutes to do absolutely nothing. Close your eyes and allow yourself to just be in the moment. Cat napping can work wonders!
Learn a proper breathing technique and take time each day, especially if you feel stressed, to focus on your breathing. It is healing for the body and mind.
Ask someone you feel comfortable with to massage your shoulders. A loving touch will remind you that you are connected to others and that your physical happiness is important.
Stop dwelling on the past or worrying about the future. Focus on the here and now. See it. Hear it. Feel it. Taste it. Touch it. Sense it in every way that you can.
If you have outstanding bills that need to be paid then sort it out now. The energy and stress of them hanging over your head will pull you into a hole and you will feel better once it is done.
Watching an uplifting and funny film or show is a good way to pick your spirits up and absorb you in something a bit lighthearted for a while. There is nothing wrong with a little bit of escapism.
There are some great pieces of music and songs that can really make you feel better. Songs that you can sing along to with positive lyrics work really well.
Drink a large glass of water. This will rehydrate you, will flush out all the unwanted toxins and give you more energy.
When you feel overwhelmed, remember every journey begins with the first step. Break it down. Start in a small way, one step at a time and carry on.
A good way to release anxieties and worries is to write them down. This will help you to be able to put them into perspective and tangibly take hold of what is worrying you and work out how you can turn it around.
A nice cup of chamomile tea with a tiny bit of honey can be very comforting. Sit quietly and sip your tea and just enjoy the experience which will be pleasant and soothing.
Parties are fun and people like people who organize parties. It doesn’t have to be a huge affair. Just get fun people together for a drink or a meal or a picnic.
When you feel down it is usually where you will be looking! So lift your head up and look upwards and outwards. Noticing the world and everything around you will make you feel ten times better.
Just say something nice to someone that you notice about them. Make someone else’s day with your words, and it will make yours.
This is something that works so well. Plan and prioritize three things that you know you want to achieve. Plan them in the morning or the night before and see what you have accomplished each day. This will make you feel very positive and give you a great big boost.
At the end of the day identify three things that were the best bits of your day. Share them with your partner, family or friends or just record them in a diary. Doing this before you go to sleep will help you to feel better about yourself and your life in general and will help you to be more positive and resilient.