Strengthen your resilience in the time of pandemic

Don’t we all know it – we experience twist and turns in life; some are everyday challenges, and some have a more lasting impact. That also means it takes different levels of strength to overcome these challenges. But what kind of strength are we talking about? Physical strength can support you, but what we’re actually talking about is mental strength and the ability to maintain, restore or heighten this strength – this ability is called resilience. 

Especially in times of COVID-19, being resilient is a very important skill as we all face changes in almost all parts of our life and are confronted with our fears and insecurities.  

But resilience is like a muscle that can be trained, so we can continuously learn to deal with the current situation in a better way. 

Face it: It is how it is! 

COVID-19 has become part of our daily life. And we know it’s a constant stressor in our lives! You can be repeatedly annoyed about restricted activities, feeling insecure and sad about having to stay at home or worried about the constant flow of news you’re receiving. Or you can simply accept the existence of COVID-19. It does not change anything to judge COVID-19 again and again, but for your well-being it makes a difference to face the fact that it is how it is. Appraise the seriousness of the problem without magnifying it out of proportion by constantly worrying. 

Use COVID-19 to your advantage 

After accepting that it is how it is, we suggest using this pandemic situation to your advantage. You might be raising your eyebrows right now but let us tell you how: Intentionally connect with your self-confidence and get aware of your strengths and abilities. Refresh your mind how you dealt with other difficult situations in the past and get aware of your boundless wealth of skills: 

• What were your strategies when difficult situations occurred? 

• Which skills or methods did you use to deal with during these difficult situations? 

• Which skills or methods did you establish or practice during these difficult situations? 

• Which skills or methods can you use right now to deal with this difficult situation? 

Do not be afraid of pushing your limits when figuring out that you need to establish or practice methods or skills. Grab this chance to learn for your personal development. Establish the perspective to perceive this situation as your learning nugget. 

Almost every person around you right now is more sensitive as we are all confronted with fears, insecurities, and restrictions. Consequently, there is a lot of room for us to broaden our skills like empathy, communication, understanding, and patience. You only need to get aware of these learning nuggets on your silver plate and take them.  

Also think about what is possible right now: Spending more time with your family? Embellish your home? Slowing down from your everyday life as a lot of must-dos are not possible or needed right now? Just reflect about some questions: 

• Which basic activities like reading, hiking or cooking have you neglected in the past that you want to focus on again? 

• Which basic activities are ready to get discovered by you? 

• How does it feel:  

1. Slowing down and not having the push to do specific things? 

2. Having more time in the morning if you can work remotely?

3. Being less distracted by tons of activities and focus on the main aspects in life?      

For sure, in the last months you already discovered new or old activities and interests that are happy to be seen again.   

The magic tool for your well-being 

Internal and external self-awareness: Get aware of your own values, needs, and strategies to increase your well-being during these times. During this phase of self-reflection, question yourself by using the word “what” (…do I need, …can I learn right now) instead of “why” (…do I feel bad, …is the other person so impolite to me) in order to stay objective, future-focused, and solution-oriented. Otherwise, it will be difficult to stabilize your problems and you will get caught by unproductive thoughts.  

Also get a better understanding of how others perceive you and your actions, ask for feedback, and thus increase your emotional intelligence - a critical skill during these times. Consequently, you can act and support others in a more empathic way.  

Take responsibility for your life and make sure you are doing well. Act on your needs and take decisions accordingly if needed. Find your suitable mental strategies for relaxation or physical strategies like yoga, sports, healthy nutrition, or sufficient sleep. Just listen to your gut feeling to find your own best solution.  

Change your perception about life 

The only constant in life is change: There are always challenges in life we need to address. These challenges can be annoying at first but in the end, we will realize what we have learned, and we will appreciate the twist and turns in life as they mean learning nuggets for our personal development. The most important part is realizing it and to catch those learning nuggets. So, let’s change our perception to life being a playground with a lot of exciting and colorful twists and turns and thus embrace resilience – how does that sound to you?