Building Resilience - Art of living in Tough Times

Like Quantum Engineers, Stoics also knew that the core of the life is uncertainty. Anyone with wishes of stability is bound to doom. To live happily in this uncertain world, we must develop a mindset of Resilience.

Life does not come with a map.  Everyone need to be lost in the jungle before reaching the destination. We must  experience twists and turns, from everyday challenges to traumatic events with more lasting impact, like  a life-altering accident or a serious illness. Each change affects people differently, bringing a unique flood of thoughts, strong emotions and uncertainty.  Everyone is expected to face the storms of unexpected events and situations. With resilience we can navigate this journey with a sense of peace and well being

Psychologists define resilience as the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats or significant sources of stress — such as family and relationship problems, serious health problems, or workplace and financial stressors. As much as resilience involves "bouncing back" from these difficult experiences, it can also involve profound personal growth.  Resilience help you to deal with that you cannot control.

Being resilient doesn’t mean that a person won’t experience difficulty or distress. People who have suffered major adversity or trauma in their lives commonly experience emotional pain and stress. On the contrary, resilience involves behaviors, thoughts and actions that anyone can learn and develop. The ability to learn resilience is one reason research has shown that resilience is ordinary, not extraordinary.

Like building a muscle, increasing your resilience takes time and intentional. Focusing on four core components, connection, wellness, healthy thinking and meaning, we  can empower ourselves to withstand and learn from difficult and traumatic experiences. To increase your capacity for resilience to weather, and grow from, the difficulties, the strategies indicated below may be deployed

1. Develop  a positive & realistic outlook -  Don’t dwell on negative information and instead look for opportunities in bleak situations, striving to find the positive within the negative. Two minuses (- - ) seen with different perspectives is always plus ( +)
2. Have a moral compass - Highly resilient people have a solid sense of what they consider right and wrong, and it tends to guide their decisions. Their sense of righteousness is always wide & open and never used to judge others. They always use their moral compass ( Dharma) to keep themselves on the right track
3. Have a belief in something greater than yourself. - We must know that we are neither the fastest nor the biggest species  in the cosmos. Even to keep our body and mind in right format, we need support of higher intelligence. All creativity and thinking in life happens beyond our mind under the guidance of some higher intelligence. When we are not connected to this source of everything, we feel lost and depressed. We must develop spiritual practices and habits  to understand and accept the power of invisible in life.
4. Be  altruistic - have a concern for others and a degree of selflessness. Dedicate yourself  to causes which are meaningful. Be kind is always better than being right in life.Kindness, which is an act of helpful those who cannot offer you anything in return, always pays. It is a kind of spiritual bank balance which comes to our rescue in times of crises.
5. Accept what you cannot change  - focus energy on what you can change.  Resilient people reappraise a difficult situation and look for meaningful opportunities within it.
6. Have a mission, a meaning, a purpose - Feeling committed to a meaningful mission in life gives courage and strength. When we feel we are part of the larger equation of life, living life goes beyond the goal of success and failure.Being part of a larger purpose gives inner peace and wisdom  in times of failure and stress.
7. Have  friends who are  positive minded and achievers - have a group of people who are like minded and acts as support system in times of crisis. A group of high frequency vibrating minds is the biggest asset for any society. For any organization, having a collective consciousness at the level beyond fear and doubt, no task is impossible. Be the change you want to see in the world.
8. Have a Mentor (Guru) - Guru is an enlightened being, someone  who sees the complete picture
   

   and shows you the way. He takes you from dark to light and gives you strength when you need it most.
   
   

The important thing is to remember you’re not alone on the journey. While you may not be able to control all of your circumstances, you can grow by focusing on the aspects of life’s challenges you can manage with the support of loved ones. When we focus our energies ( physical, mental, spiritual) on strength and courage, dropping the sense of judging others, life takes us on a higher path. The goal is to be at peace amid chaos. We have all  strength and resources with us to achieve this goal. We are here to enjoy all the beauty and vastness of life. If we are suffering, then it is only because of wrong choices.

At the end of the day, God will forgive us for all wrong doings but our central nervous system will not.

Foot Note - This article is a tribute to my Guru on the auspicious occasion of Guru Purnima ( 5th July 2020). His teachings and hand holding has always helped me to gain right understanding and strength. Mind is the final key and Love is our savior.