The year of 2020, should have taught all of us a lesson about resilience.  Resilience is the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties and mental toughness.  Psychological resilience is the ability to mentally or emotionally overcome a crisis or to return to pre-crisis status quickly.  Resilience exists when a person uses, “mental processes and behaviors in a positive way to protect the self from the potential negative effects of stressors.” 

From the Covid-19 virus, businesses closing, and schools transitioning to virtual learning, we have all learned how important it is to be flexible and adapt to new situations. 

 

A lot of people lost loved ones during the Covid-19 pandemic that has changed their lives drastically.  We all had to learn how to cope without losing a piece of ourselves and what was comfortable and/or convenient.  Couples began to spend more time together and that experience has either brought them closer together or torn apart.  Those who have lost jobs, have begun to dive into their entrepreneurial endeavors and entertainers have become more creative to be able to survive financially.  The pandemic has brought the world together in different ways.  For some, it was quite a humbling experience, even celebrities have found creative ways to engage more with their fans on social media and other ways to generate revenue for themselves.  Many people could have easily given up, but instead we chose to be resilient.

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Despite the pandemic, we have all had to learn how to manage change.  Despite your circumstances, this isn’t a time to give up and become powerless.   We need to have childlike faith that this current economic climate will only make us stronger.  This is the time to look at life through an optimistic lens.  So, don’t dwell on how bad your current circumstances are or might become.  Instead, think about where you want to go and what YOU are going to do to get there. 

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We should come out of 2020, wiser and stronger.  God has not brought you this far, to leave you now.  So, keep going.  You can do this.  Be resilient.  I always say, life is not good or bad, it’s both good AND bad.  We have to learn how to effectively handle the good and the bad.  We should learn to handle the good without becoming boastful or arrogant.  We should also learn to handle the bad without becoming defeated or hopeless.  When we complain or wallow in self-pity, what we are doing is giving glory to the devil and he doesn’t deserve to be glorified at all.

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Resilience is having faith in the fact that your life can get better, if you work hard towards making it better.  Imagine new possibilities, new opportunities, new strategies, new doors opening, and your life getting better.  Then, work towards it, despite life challenges along the way.  Change your way of thinking from negative to positive; to do so will require cognitive restructuring.  This means to train your brain to think positive instead of negative and change how you communicate with yourself and others about the challenges in your life.  YOU choose how you respond to life challenges.  Yes, YOU.  In 2021, let this be a new year to learn how to cope better with things that you can and cannot control.  You can handle it, so you will have to learn how to manage the things that shift your way of thinking from positive to negative.  These are the things that usually cause stress.  Managing stress is about self-care, which is important to having resilience.   Believe that You are strong, You are wise, You are still standing, everything is happening for Your good, and You will have the victory in the end, so keep going. Stay in the fight for Your life.  Be resilient!

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By Lynnette Clement

 

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