mental resilience in viral times…
mental resilience is being resilient to mental trauma and seeing what happened as a mark of what life can be sometimes.
by no means is what happened fine or okay with covid’s inception, but to keep going forward somehow i needed to find ways to at least be a little but happier. and that’s okay, you know, not being able to be fully yourself after seeing or withstanding certain events. no one is saying it has to be happy here all the time. sometimes that’s actually a great mark about yourself and tells you more about who you are. that reaction is a mark of kindheartedness.
true, sometimes things that happen will permanently make you sad, anxious, or angry, but i wanted you to know that you can make it less bad on yourself. and it’s easy! at least you can have a somewhat more tolerable life. there’s that much. wishing you well into the future…here’s some mental resilience tips for hard times!!!
1. humour
sometimes when horrible events happen to us, we can add some humour to it. or listen to others be humorous. the same thing happens, but your perception of it changes from a serious, sad, and damp mood to a more lively one. all by changing: perception. believe it or not, it might actually make the future feel better and change your actions.
it made me less sad about things politically, at least. that was good enough for me to at least know what happens. now i am a little better about it. plus, it’s good hearted humour, no one is really getting offended. and all jokes aren’t meant to be taken to heart. so, when it comes to anything humours, i always don’t take things seriously or to heart because that’s how humour is. it’s not meant to be serious!!! that’s kind of the point. and if you think something is too touchy, best not share it with others, but you can always write jokes to yourself and that’s fine! no harm.
this is one coping mechanism a mark of mental resilience.
2. mitigation
mitigation is a more serious approach to handling things that happen here in this world.
it involves broadening your world view. to see beyond your own narrow view. there are 3 types
- unison
- comparison
- temporal
unison
type 1 (unison) means to acknowledge the suffering you go through as that of others. to see beyond you and at least know others have it like this too and that we are all in this together. not alone. for example, i have a mental disorder and it makes me sad at times. then, i thought of all the other people who also have the same disorder and their ways of life too as well as their own personal hardships, all given online. it broadened my perspective about things and made the sadness feel less sad. that much helped me. and it made me closer to others too. we are all the same and anything sad that happens with our lives, countless others before us have felt exactly the same thing. this alone can help mitigate any negative feelings we have.
comparison
type 2 is comparison. and this one as about comparing now with other futures, a little bit like gratitude.
let’s say i am hungry and have not had a meal in over 7 hours! terrible, right? one thing i can do is to acknowledge what things i don’t have to deal with and that makes thing better. perhaps, if i am here in the house, i can at least think
“well…at least there aren’t any bugs around me and the room smells clean. it could be worse.”
it doesn’t solve the hunger issue but at least you are feeling better than before. same with being in the cold or a rainy day. it all relies on the idea
“it could be worse, you know. enjoy this much at least.”
and makes things feel less bad inside.
temporal
the last one (temporal) is about seeing things through. sometimes pain in life is there, but it is temporary. and if you are patient you can get through it. the part to realise is that it comes to an end.
suppose i am in a cold mountain or that i have to do 50 situps. one way to make things feel less bad is to realise that it is temporary and that i comes to an end. encourage yourself during these times rather than build negative dialogue. all things we don’t immediately like are temporary, they go away and when they do, we stand amazed at how we were when things were worse.
3. future perception
by far, seeing a future can make things either feel better or worse. so many times i thought of a future only to be disappointed when things actually happened. so, i came up with ways to see it differently!
the future is really unknown and no man or woman can tell you exactly how yours will play out. so, when you think of it, take all of it with a good grain of salt. it might not be what you think.
this can be either great or terrible, we don’t know yet.
and even when we get things that we want, we aren’t as happy as we thought. it is best to keep moving on with the present moment and let the future write itself.
that’s the lesson:
the future might not be what you think it is, right now as you think of it. it might be worse or better for you. no one can tell and you have your own bets. i had to really ask myself the question: how much of what i thought about the future in the past ever came to be true? when i answered this one question, i found out i was a poor guesser of the future!
the best thing is to act now in the present and let the future come as it inevitably will. that much worked for me, and i was happier.
4. new habits
often times when things are terrible, doing the same things over and over again can make the same feeling worse. a cool thing i learned was new things. it makes the mind see things differently and give itself positive energy.
maybe go out for a walk, read a new book, change where you do your work, visit a new place, or just change up your routine.
i make sure to listen to one random song each day no matter how much i don’t like it, there can be a list too about it. maybe a random video too or a random article. i can also write a random sentence too! there’s lots of new things if you really think about them. there are too many things you haven’t done than what you have, i mean. and it’s easy to at least try one new thing on purpose.
it’s all about now rather than some time that was in the past. keep the past as a place for learning to make the time you have now better.
5. thought perception (detachment)
sometimes we are so inside our own thoughts that we tend to think of them as us. but, if i change day by day and do new things, does that really make, me the same? hmm…am i the same tomorrow if i think different things? and why keep a record if you really support new things over time? i may have thought something in the past, but what good is it if it is not how i am now?! now is not yesterday, and that’s why tomorrow is better than today.
people who keep a log or track you based on what you did in the past only are doing it out of their own problems. don’t let them get to you and ignore them kindly. they are in worse places than you. they don’t have better things to do! here i am enjoying the day and there they are marking what i do and thinking things about me when they themselves have problems too! no one is perfect. and perhaps befriend them instead?
the things you think can always change. people who hold grudges are in rough spots in the mind. lower people want others to be like them, lower. they yell, and poke faults at others while thinking little of themselves. it is annoying, but let them do as they wish, they obviously have problems within themselves too, that much is enough pain.
i used to he like this too until i noticed the toll it has. don’t be like me, i’m saying this now so you can learn and have a better future! grudges are more hurtful things inside you and letting things to feels better, as soon as you do it. it changes your mind.
6. distraction activity
when things are rough in life, i found it useful to just take a break. a small harmless break. it is good to have new avenues of thought. and have new ways to see how things actually worked.
i can meditate for a break and have joy and i can do other enjoyable things too!
the key?
it’s something enjoyable and something i really have a great time doing, no matter the situation. maybe a favourite book, game, show, or thinking calming thoughts. i can look forward to it anytime i am confused or stressed. it’s always there and beats whatever i just saw or had to endure.
summary of activity…
- really enjoyable
- look forward to
- immediately fun, favourite thing
- time just for this and forget other things
right when things are rough or a little bit too much. have a break and do something immedicable enjoyable, harmless, and entertaining.
these are my marks for mental resilience. they all make hard moments better or less bad.
above all, be lighthearted about this place! don’t take things too seriously otherwise it ends up owning you and not the other way around.
serious people tend to have harder times living and it can take a toll. i’ll explain:
- you were born
- this place had characteristics about it that you had no control over
- you didn’t choose the place and it’s circumstances
- you just have to live through it
- no need to make this whole life story, just try to make the moments now and later better.
don’t overcomplicate life. try to make it as enjoyable as you can. i hope you enjoy it in someway at least! have at least one thing you enjoyed about it. something to look back on. make that memory stronger than the other things you went through.