Building Mental Resilience: Strategies to overcome anxiety and thrive.

In an ever-evolving and fast-paced world, anxiety and stress have become more prevalent among individuals. The demands of work, personal life, and the ever-increasing stresses of societal expectations can impact our mental well-being. However, by developing mental resilience, we can empower ourselves to navigate these challenges and overcome anxiety.

Mental resilience refers to our ability to adapt, bounce back, and maintain a positive mindset in the face of setbacks and stressful situations. The key to building mental resilience lies in cultivating and strengthening certain skills and changing one's attitude. Let's explore a few strategies you can implement to build mental resilience, overcome anxiety, and create a foundation for a more fulfilling life.

Practice mindfulness and self-awareness

The practice of mindfulness and being more present enhances your self-awareness. It will help you to understand your thoughts, emotions, and reactions with intention. Mindfulness is about choosing to pay attention to the present moment in a curious and non-judgmental way. Strengthening your self-awareness helps you recognise when you're feeling overwhelmed or anxious, enabling you to respond in a more constructive and in-control manner.

Breathing is a key mindfulness practice whereby you move from breathing mindlessly (which we do most of our waking hours) and we focus our attention on our breath. Slow down your breath and perhaps even have a mantra to accompany the in and out breaths. I find this mantra helps me a lot: "I am here (breathe in), right now (breathe out)". It brings me to the present and helps me focus on the moment and not the thing that is causing me frustration or anxiety.

Positive and adaptive thinking

A positive and adaptive mindset involves reframing negative thoughts and focusing on opportunities and solutions rather than dwelling on the challenges. Adaptability helps you strengthen your ability to overcome challenges and taking-in setbacks as learning experiences.

I find it helpful to pay attention to my negative thoughts. I write them down and then make an effort to think of something positive about myself and write that down too. I cross out the negative thought and focus on the positive one. I also find that asking the question "is it true?" really helps, because nine times out of ten, the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves are not true. And someone else's negativity towards you is often more indicative of where they are mentally versus who you are.

Build a strong support network

Surrounding yourself with supportive and understanding individuals is crucial for building mental resilience. Having people you can trust and lean on for emotional support, will help you navigate challenges with a bit more ease. As the saying goes, "With a strong support system, there's nothing you can't face". Make an effort to build a handful of close connections, people who genuinely care about your well-being that you can turn to in a time of need. Community groups can be a great source of support. Don't be shy to share your thoughts and feelings with those you trust, it is true more often than not that 'a problem shared is a problem halved'.

Develop effective coping mechanisms

Identifying and practising healthy coping mechanisms is essential for building mental resilience. Engaging in activities that encourage positivity and self-care will help you navigate adversity. Activities such as physical exercise, mindfulness and meditation, journaling and cognitive reframing are some of the mechanisms you can adopt. It's important to find what works for you. And it's best to start these activities and build a regular practice when feeling good, so it's a way of being when things are not going as great, and you can access the benefits of having developed a disciplined approach to things that elevate one's mood and mental well-being.

Seeking professional support: Recognising when you need professional help is a sign of strength. If you're experiencing anxiety or anxious moments, it's important to seek assistance from a mental health professional who can provide guidance and support. If you don't know where to start, chat to your local GP, or Human Capital partner, or to a friend or colleague. You'll be surprised how many others are seeking or have sought professional support and are willing to share what they've learnt and their network with you.

Learn from the setbacks: Resilience is not about avoiding difficulties but rather learning and growing from them. Viewing setbacks as opportunities for personal growth, learning from past experiences, and adapting your approach moving forward can strengthen your mental resilience. Instead of asking yourself "why me?", try a reframe of "what is this asking of me". It's not to say this will be easy, but you need to reframe to reset that internal turmoil.

Building mental resilience is a journey that requires patience, self-compassion, and commitment. It's about embracing challenges as opportunities for growth and adopting a positive outlook. By incorporating these strategies and actively working on them, you will overcome anxiety, or at least feel improvements over time, and ultimately you will thrive.

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