Building Resilience
Stress can be a significant factor in mental health problems but is also linked to physical health as often our first cues about being stressed are the physical signs such as headache, tiredness or an upset stomach. Whilst we may not be able to remove certain causes of stress in our lives, there are many steps we can take to build our emotional resilience, so they don’t affect us as much.
Here are our top tips that you can build into your everyday lives to help build your resilience:
1. Maintain some form of flexible routine
- Include time for self-care time such as yoga or exercise. Once it’s established in your routine, it will make it easier to carry it going in your ‘new normal’.
2. Get a good night’s sleep
- If your thoughts are keeping you awake, write them down so you can rest knowing that you can deal with them in the morning.
3. Manage expectations
- Saying no is not as easy as it seems but helps to reduce the unnecessary pressure you put on yourself. Besides the yes could happen later when you are able.
4. Be kind to yourself and recognise your limits
- It’s important to rest when you’re not feeling well as rushing back to normality doesn’t help recovery and can often prolong your illness.
5. Prioritise your to do list
- To avoid becoming overwhelmed and even schedule them into your diary, allowing a bit of extra buffer time, just in case.
6. Connect with others and talk about how you’re feeling
- Sometimes just talking out loud can help you think more clearly.
7. Be active
- Physical activity releases feel-good hormones that help to make you feel better in yourself and give you more energy. Even a regular walk outside can make a difference.
8. Take regular breaks
- Even spending a few hours in a different place can help you relax and feel refreshed.
9. Eat healthily and keep hydrated
- To help maintain both your immune system and your mental wellbeing.
10. Try and reduce worries by thinking about what we can control in our lives
- For the things we can’t, try to let these things go as trying to control the uncontrollable leads can lead to stress and anxiety.
11. Limit time on social media and watching the news
- Too much information can be overwhelming and distressing, particularly with the current events around us right now.
Download our tips in a printable format:
You may also fing the following online reources helpful:
Emotional Resilience Toolkit from Mental Health Foundation
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