WHY WE NEED EMOTIONAL RESILIENCE

It's inevitable—negative energy is bound to happen, from others and from ourselves. Our armor we wear everyday sometimes doesn't protect us from the circumstances and situations we find ourselves in, so how can we get past the irritating, frustrating—the list goes on—emotions, and change our outlook and take the higher road?

I think many times we think being tough means putting up a wall. How can anyone hurt us if we keep the evil out, right? But sometimes we  also end up repelling the good. Some days it's a battle, I feel it and I'm sure you feel it—people get under our skin, hit a nerve or push our buttons—but whatever metaphorical phrase it seems to be, one thing is for sure, we need resilience. 

Rolling with the punches—that's exactly our goal. Finding the inner strength, especially on the days that have us at our lowest is a complicated task. But how do we persevere and why aren't we teaching the importance of emotional resilience to the younger generations? 

Some people, by nature, can adapt to adversity with grace. For the rest of the population who struggles to hold it together (yes, it's almost like we need a neon flashing sign warning people that we are having a bad day and one more thing will push us over the edge) emotional resilience is something that can be developed. 

We, as individuals, are more sensitive to certain things and sometimes it is out of our control, but learning how to cope and yes, rolls with the punches, can put us miles ahead of others, as well as give us a calm outlook on the daily stresses of life. 

Establishing a strong sense of emotional resilience is important, but it's also an ongoing task—it takes mega commitment and a strong mindset. As difficult and exhausting stress is, we can't avoid it and for many, change is a great fear, but learning how to adapt while turning negative moments into positive ones will help us withstand those down-to-one-last-nerve moments. 

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying everything will be butterflies or rainbows, and I'm not saying it should be, but I am saying that you'll thank yourself lateR for learning how to deal with the curveballs of life. 

Take these plants for example, succulents and cacti. Both deserve to be loved (which I do, of course), but they don't need a lot of care—just simple tasks allow them to thrive. This is kind of like us. We need love yes, and simple self care routine, but these plants learn how to survive themselves and they grow while adapting to the weather. What we don't realize in our breakdown moments is that we have the greatest power—we are our greatest hero, teacher and leader—but it takes hardships and patience to learn just how strong we are. 

We've all had those moments—maybe we didn't get the job we wanted or we failed the test or the barista put sweet syrup in our black coffee (this is isn't relatable at all ;)), but creating awareness is the first step. If we aren't self-aware how are we able to propel forward and make changes within ourselves?

Awareness is one of the most important qualities a person should possess. Knowing why you're feeling a certain way can help us construct a plan of action toward understanding what triggers us. It gives us valuable information that can guide us toward our coping mechanisms. 

Instead of responding with the victim mentality or with anger, change your perspective. It's easier said than done, but when we respond out of fear and rage, we lose the chance to step back, contemplate the situation and gather our thoughts. Positive self talk and a few deep breaths, can go along way, but only if you're willing to change. 

While we can't control our circumstances, we most certainly can control our reactions and how we respond to those situations. This is our power. Maximize your strengths and brighten your outlook. We learn wisdom and determination during these moments—something that can't be taken away from you, unless you allow it. 

Increasing your humor will increase your immunity to frustrations—seriously. Sarcasm may get annoying to some, but it helps me immensely and sometimes you just need something to hold you over for a bit before evaluating yourself and the situation. Haven't you looked back at what you thought was once a terrible, failing moment in your life and you start laughing? If only we realized how silly the situation was, maybe we could've saved ourselves the irritating emotions. 

Emotional resilience is not shoving your emotions under the rug because we know the outcome of that. It's about learning how to cope with the ebb and flow of life. Many find that exercise, journaling and friends and family can help us find a new perspective. But ultimately, you have to be in control of your actions and reactions, along with your mindset, learning what is best for you is key. 

The people who are most successful with practicing emotional resilience take time to strengthen their minds long term. This process isn't short term and it's not an easy task, but it's something everyone can benefit from. Being patient and trusting the process will allow us to step back from the edge before we find ourselves at the bottom of the cliff because we allowed someone to push us off.