Simple Ideas for Building Emotional Resilience

It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.

Life is currently tough for everyone. Uncertainty faces all of us from all directions. Perhaps there never was a time riper than now to develop resilience skills. One of my favourite quotes on this subject is from Epictetus the Greek philosopher. It also serves as a mantra when exploring cognitive behavioural therapy.

“It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.”
– Epictetus

What do we mean by resilience?

Being resilient is our ability to cope, to bounce back when things are tough when a crisis hits our lives. Some people appear to be resilient and others seemingly struggle. But resilience is not a fixed, it can be built up, we can grow it. There are ways and means we can learn to strengthen it just as we would if training in the gym.

Developing resilience

To develop resilience, have in mind the following categories:

1. Develop strong, supportive connections with friends and family
2. Auditing and growing your health and fitness habits
3. Learning to observe and challenge your thinking
4. Finding life’s meaning, helping others, nudging forward to achieve your goals

Here are some daily tips for building emotional resilience from Action for Happiness.