by Doug Anderson, Life Directions Financial, LLC and C3 Member

Resilience is the professional word for bouncing back. Research reveals that the details of crisis and loss are far less impactful than our personal emotional and behavioral responses.  Do you believe in your ability to shape your outcome by how you respond?

Here are keys to actually growing and benefiting because of how we deal with setbacks and loss. These are some of the vital characteristics of resilient people:

• Let go. Disintegration and recovery are inherent in life. Resilient people make this useful.  Mourning losses is also inevitable but wishing and trying to recover the way things were is ultimately unhelpful. Instead, let go with peace and move forward with hope.
• Choose positivity. We may not be able to choose our circumstances, but we can choose how we react to them. Emotions like gratitude, optimism, and a calm demeanor facilitate health and recovery.
• Respect yourself. Studies from the Heart Math Institute verify that the heart has an intelligence of its own, and sends neurological and hormonal signals to the brain, as well as vice versa. Stressful responses make resilient behaviors more difficult.
• Be flexible. Resilience often requires a change of perspective, getting outside the box. Learning new things takes humility and courage. Use crises to develop creative ways of thinking and acting.
• Reach out. Isolation in crisis can be deadly. Seek and accept help from others who care. If you tend toward independence, use the crisis as a chance to develop a new level of healthy inter-dependence.
• Reach in. Resilient people have a habit of personal discipline. If you search within yourself, you may find untapped creative resources and the ability to modify your behaviors and thinking
• Reach up. A foundation of faith can be a source of transcendental resources, including strength, courage, wisdom, and power.

If you develop and utilize resilience, you may someday look back and recognize times of crisis as turning points in personal growth and fulfillment. Resilient people often take on new purpose and life direction.  What are you doing to build resilience?