Our capacity for resilience is more important than ever in a world where we're faced with scary realities on a daily basis.
When things get tough, we bounce back and come back better than ever, right?
Not always.
What is resilience?
The capacity to recover quickly from tough situations is different for everyone. For some, resiliency is something that comes naturally. For others, it needs to be learned.
Those who are resilient, whether it is natural or learned, are known to have a more optimistic view on life and are able to deal with their stresses more efficiently.
No matter what type of person you are, tough times are bound to make their way into your life. This is why it’s important to develop resilient behaviors and be able to put them into practice when the hard times strike. You might even be able to thrive and get better because of them!
National Recovery Month
While we discuss resilience, it’s also worth mentioning each September marks National Recovery Month (Recovery Month). This national observance is held each year to educate Americans about substance use treatment and mental health services available for those with a mental and/or substance use disorder to help them live a healthy and rewarding life.
What role does resilience play in addiction recovery?
Resilience can play a powerful role in addiction recovery.
Throughout your recovery journey, you’re bound to face some surprises and challenges along the way. But the more resilient you are, the better you’ll be able to cope with anything that disrupts your path. Now, what if you aren’t naturally resilient? Chances are, you’re more resilient than you think. But what about developing your ability to be resilient beyond your natural capacity for recovery?
Can you develop resilience?
Absolutely! And it could be much simpler than you think. But keep in mind, as you experiment with different techniques for developing resilience, you’ll find some are more effective for you than others. That reminds us how important it is to keep trying until you find something that works for you!
Here are our top 10 ways to enhance your resilience.
1. Embrace the fact that change is inevitable
This will be a tough one for the type A, planner-savvy individuals, but happens to be imperative to being truly resilient.
As much as you plan, the only constant in life is change. It’s essential to be flexible and adaptable and accept that change is always going to happen.
Your ability to adapt and adjust to that change is what makes you best prepared. The people who are most resilient are the ones who are able to accept change and head in a new exciting direction because of it.
2. Be kind to yourself
When the going gets tough, it might seem like the right time to suppress your true needs in favor of trying to fix the situation. Or maybe you’re inclined to beat yourself up for the choices you’ve made or the path you’ve taken.
The reality is, you are best equipped to take care of stressful situations when you are kind to yourself and take care of your own needs.
Whether it’s eating healthy, getting enough sleep, moving your body outdoors, attending a recovery meeting, or calling your sponsor, it’s important to make time for yourself. When you are healthy and well taken care of, you will be ready to face oncoming challenges.
3. Set achievable goals
When a crisis hits, you may be tempted to scramble to pick up the pieces right away. But the most resilient types of people will be able to stop and assess the situation at hand.
They seek to set achievable goals that will help them get where they are going and deal with the problem, rather than becoming overwhelmed. Goals make for solutions and successes down the road.
4. Continuously work on yourself and your skills
Resilience isn’t built overnight. You will want to accept that your skills for acting resiliently are going to take time, not to mention a bit of work.
Continue to work on your skills over time and learn from past situations where your stress may have gotten out of hand. Seek help from those who have a handle on resilient behavior and try to understand how their reactions led them to greater results.
5. Be a better problem solver
Do your best to avoid getting discouraged when crisis strikes. You will want to try to come up with a list of potential solutions to the problem at hand.
Use a logical way of thinking to develop different strategies that could help you through the situation. Practicing problem solving on a regular basis is the best way to prepare and help you become more resilient.
There’s no longer a need to hit the panic button! You will be a natural at taking the situation at hand and turning it on its head into something better.
6. Practice an optimistic attitude
Practicing an optimistic attitude during tougher periods of time is essential to keeping a hopeful outlook and becoming more resilient. Your hopes for a better future are what drive you through those times and bring you out on top.
By staying optimistic, you create an understanding that the difficulties presented to you are only temporary and that you have what it takes to get past them.
7. Surround yourself with good people
You become who you surround yourself with, which means that surrounding yourself with people who are resilient helps you to better achieve it.
The people that you choose to surround yourself with can also be the ones to help you through difficult times. This could be friends, family, your recovery support group, or your sponsor–or anyone else who cares about you and has your best interests in mind. They may be able to talk you through your problems and help come up with achievable solutions.
Sometimes, simply talking about a crisis with people who care about you is the best way to get through it.
8. Have confidence in your abilities
Your ability to cope with stress is deeply rooted in your confidence in yourself. Teach yourself to be more confident in what you are capable of so that you can better build resilience for the future.
Self-esteem is an important part of how you deal with pressure and recover from difficult events. Learn to treasure your abilities and remind yourself of what you have accomplished in the past.
9. Keep moving forward
There are bound to be road blocks throughout your journey towards resilience and your path to recovery. Motivate yourself to keep moving forward, challenge your comfort zones, and try to turn tough situations into better ones.
You can better recover if you can create meaning behind the steps you take to move forward and develop a sense of purpose. You might become involved in your community and try to help others through a difficult situation that you have also experienced.
10. Vagus nerve stimulation
One of the most revolutionary ways to improve resilience is through vagus nerve stimulation. Research suggests VNS can help to improve sleep, reduce stress, boost your mood, provide anxiety relief, and enhance focus to support overall wellness.
The more glimpses of relaxation your brain gets through this method, the more time you’ll be able to spend in that state. And the calmer you are, the better equipped you are to deal with trying times and bounce back from them.
Taking care of this important nerve in the body means more positivity and a better ability to cope.
Discover tools to further enhance your resilience
Now, you might be wondering how you can experience vagus nerve stimulation for yourself. There are some fantastic tools that can help!
If you’re looking for a unique, effective, non-invasive way to experience the many benefits of VNS, we encourage you to give Xen by Neuvana a try. This vagus nerve stimulating technology was invented by a top surgeon and accomplished inventor passionate about enhancing people’s lives through wellness technology.
All it takes to stimulate your vagus nerve from home is plugging your Xen Headphones into the Xen handheld device that connects to your smartphone. Next, you can listen to your favorite sounds or music while the gentle electrical stimulation works its magic! Xen even syncs to your music library, Spotify®, Pandora®, and most other streaming apps.
Whether you’re hoping to enhance your resiliency to assist with addiction recovery or to handle any of life’s other challenges, know that it IS possible to develop your resilience. Don’t give up, and remember to access the resources available to you!Learn more about Xen by Neuvana here. Or click here to learn more about the resources available through National Recovery Month.
