7 ways resilience can help us cope with winter
Hands up who found last winter difficult? With a spike in flu numbers and COVID-19 levels still high, illness was a regular visitor to our homes. It's not surprising that for some of us, the idea of reliving the experience this winter is quite stressful. As we move into the cooler months, let's remember how resilience can help us cope. But first, let’s recap.
What is resilience?
Resilience is the ability to use inner strength and support networks to move through adverse events and return to a healthy "normal". Research is discovering is that rather than the nature of a particular event, what’s more important is how we “bounce back”. It sounds good - and it is good too: Resilience is linked to facilitating good health and accelerating healing after illness.1
Some individuals naturally display more resilience than others - but we can all practice and learn it, just like any other skill! Try these tips to boost your resilience:
Andy Vuong
Pharmacist at TerryWhite Chemmart
Milton, NSW
1. Social support
Don’t pull away from your social ties, whether at school, work, family, organisations or the community. This is especially true when we feel emotionally low or need help with caring for someone sick.
2. Focus on the very next step
When everything seems too much, simplify things by focusing on the next thing that needs to be done – and then only do that.
3. Remind yourself of past success
You've got through every hard moment in your life so far, and you will move through this as well. Sometimes thinking “this too shall pass” can be helpful.
4. Foster coping skills
Think gratitude, talking through problems, journalling, self-care, mindfulness, focusing on the positive and big picture thinking.
5. Schedule worry time
Block out some time during the day (not before bed!) to focus on your worries. This can help prevent them from taking over your whole day.
6. Zoom in, zoom out
Try this simple technique next time you feel overwhelmed. Imagine your mind is a camera lens which can Zoom in on the present when worries about the past or future take over and Zoom out to the bigger picture, during highly stressful present moments.
7. Have a plan of attack
Having practical tips ready to use when something happens helps avoid feeling lost. This can include knowing who to call at night, serving extremely simple meals or leaning on someone to help with logistics.