We’ve all been there – you’re going through life and all is well. You’ve just got a promotion at work, your boss thinks you’re great and you’ve enough money in the bank. Then – WHAM! Life throws you a curve ball.
A tough situation crops up, something goes horribly wrong or you lose someone or something you love.
There’s a quote by Charles R. Swindoll that life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you respond to it. So how can you respond to those curve balls? And what about situations that you can’t do anything about? Where something is changed forever and you know that you have to accept it, somehow. Why is resilience important for mental well being?
Think of it like a gap between what your reality is and what you want. Dr Russ Harris in his book “The Reality Slap” notes that the bigger the gap, the more we struggle and the harder we find it to cope.
When we are going through tough times we need to be kind to ourselves. Despite this, we all have minds that can be our worst critics. That voice inside your head that says “it’s all your fault”, or “if only you had…”. We need to learn how to handle our painful thoughts and feelings effectively, so they have less impact and influence over our lives.
Along with this harsh inner critic and all those painful thoughts, often comes waves of painful feelings.
How do I build resiliency and respond to curve balls?
What does a ship do when a storm comes along? It drops anchor and stays put! Dropping our anchor or grounding ourselves during tough times doesn’t get rid of the storm, however it will hold us steady until the storm passes. It is useful at this stage to get some help. There are effective ways to manage strong emotions and painful thoughts, and working with a Psychologist can be help you to move on when a curve ball comes your way.
We can’t choose the hand of cards that life has dealt us, but we can choose how we play them!
Want to read more from Happy Minds Psychology blog? click herhttps://happyminds.net.au/positive-psychology/7-reasons-to-smile/e