In times of difficulty, adversity, challenge, failure, setbacks and obstacles, circumstances will be what they are – chosen or otherwise. When you accept, adapt to and change how you relate to those circumstances, you become ever more resilient. It is a conscious choice to renew your spirit, resolve and optimism about the future with a strong and durable feeling that despite inevitable setbacks your life and work will turn out all right.
I often remind myself that I am in the driver’s seat of my reaction to adversity by saying, “Bummer! What am I going to do about this?” Emotional resilience helps me to seek advice from those I trust and go forward to make necessary choices.
Whenever you bounce back and get in the game again, you shape yourself and your future. This is true in business and all other aspects of life. More and more organizations are realizing the interconnectedness of work and family life. With that in mind, they are restructuring their jobs and work processes to support personal renewal and resilience.
Breathe in renewal to become resilient. ‘Breathing spaces’ or ‘islands of peace’ in the midst of tasks, problems and work demands are essential to renewal. When stress, frustration, tension and exhaustion get you down, find ways to recover with methods that work for you and are appropriate at the time. Halt the down-sliding energy or deflating mood and turn that around. Here are some renewal strategies:
- Capture the feeling of ‘being home’. Learn to break away from work while at work to experience a sense of being home in your heart and imagination.
- Downshift into transition time at the end of the day with low-pressure tasks that create organizational clearings. Business ‘put off until tomorrow’ can become subconscious distractions well into the evening, so wrap-up important loose ends.
- Eat a late-day snack to promote healthy relaxation and transition to home life.
- Disengage mentally and emotionally from work. Shift to the slower rhythms of home to arrive more adaptable and energized – even when you work at home!
- Listen to great music, a book on tape or an inspirational audiotape.
- Talk with a loved one or good friend by phone (not while driving).
- Dictate to yourself in creative dialogue about a new idea or project.
- Exercise.
- Change into loose, comfortable clothes.
- Take a shower.
- Enjoy a cup of tea.
- Prearrange to briefly ‘check-in’ with significant others, then take time to do one of the above ideas before engaging in challenging dialogue. The first few minutes are prime time for arguments and misunderstandings unless set up differently.
- Use humor when you do share with your loved ones.
- Meditate daily. The benefits to your health and resilience are many and varied.
You are shaped in long-lasting ways by how you feel about and respond to business and personal circumstances, so remember who’s driving the bus and choose to renew!
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