The pandemic has brought about many over-used words.

The word resilience is front and centre after a year of such great change, which is why Soteria120 is placing a new focus on a Resilience module for our mental health program.

Most of us are familiar with the definition of resilience being likened to “bouncing back” from adversity. – easy to say, harder to do.

To be effective, our focus should be on how we practice resilience – as opposed to a result we hope to achieve.

Here’s what I’ve learned:

We all need support. Its vital to find and use your resilience resources. Family, church, community, school, friends. It takes a village.

There’s science here. Some people are naturally more resilient than others – but resilience IS a skill that can be learned. You can practice, gain skill and internal resources, and get better at it. Working to reframe your attitude toward adversity as a challenge instead of a threat is a great start.

You can actually train your brain! If you practice resilience skills as part of a regular routine, you can train your brain to be less reactive, more focused. Check out resources on mindfulness, mediation, breathing exercises – or just go for a walk, listen to music or sit quietly to clear your head and re-focus your thoughts. Find out what works for you and make it part of your regular routine. Remember, not everything works for everyone – keep trying!

Helping others helps you – again there’s science here. If we help others, we are actually building our own resilience skills. Our brains react in a similar way when we help others and ourselves.

So – resilience is much more than bouncing back – it’s carrying on. Hopefully even better and stronger than before. It takes many approaches/tools – a band of rubber bands if you will, to go on tour and take on the world.

My personal rubber band band includes:

• Working to reframe “problems” into learning experiences
• Calling/zooming people who need connection
• Calling/zooming people when I need connection
• Practicing mindfulness daily by:
• Going for a drive and listening to loud music
• (Trying to!) go for a walk daily
• Enjoying my flowers

Consider your reasons for wanting to be more resilient. Find what works for you and PRACTICE.

That’s where Soteria120 comes in.  It’s all about practice!  Engaging your brain for 120 seconds/day is great not only as a reminder of what to do (and what not to do), but it’s a habit in and of itself.  Forming helpful habits around mental wellness is the key.  Even if it’s just 2 minutes/day, this is the habit that helps drive everything else.