webadminFor the last two years, the COVID-19 pandemic has become a global health emergency, affecting both the physical and psychological health of people. While thousands and thousands of people have lost their lives, those who have survived or have lost their loved ones to the pandemic are under tremendous mental distress.
People who were admitted to hospitals for treatment are still haunted by their experiences of physical discomfort, social isolation, death of their loved ones, death of patients on adjacent beds, and the fear for their own survival afterwards. Such life-threatening and life-altering experiences are associated with an increased risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Resilience: A potent mean to ward off PTSD amid COVID-19
However, it is difficult to avoid bad things in life. You need to strengthen yourself to stay strong and maintain sanity amid the growing tension. But, it is easier said than done and requires immense willpower and resilience to say the least. Resilience is a tool that can help effectively deal with the challenges that life throws at us every now and then, like the unwelcome guest COVID-19.
What is resilience? According to the American Psychological Society, resilience is the process of ‘bouncing back’ from tough situations and learning to adapt to the adversities, tragedy, threats, or other life-threatening situations like the COVID-19 pandemic in the present scenario.
Resilience has been found to be an effective way to manage psychological distress or anxiety related to a traumatic situation. Resilience is also known as a potent way to deal with depressive symptoms among people who have experienced trauma in childhood or in later life.
In view of the power of resilience in warding off hard times in life, we have come up with five effective techniques to develop resilience and bounce back from life’s adversaries.
- When you are positive, wellness will come in tow
Becoming strong from outside and inside can help build resilience. Adopt healthy lifestyle behaviors like regular exercise, proper nutrition, quality and timely sleep, and adequate hydration to strengthen your body to deal with stress and reduce the toll of emotions like anxiety or mental health disorders like depression.
Practice mindfulness through yoga, and other practices such as meditation and/or prayer to restore hope. Meditating, or praying, recalling things you are thankful for, and looking forward to positive aspects of life can prove effective in developing resilience.
- Stay Close to Those Who Care for You
Relationships act as the biggest support in bad times. Loved ones help us get over the traumas. So do not isolate yourself when a traumatic situation makes you restless. Connect with the people who care for you and in whose company you find solace.
In addition, you can also consider joining a group or participating in social communities, civic groups, and others that offer social support and can help you restore hope.
- Practice to Stay Positive
Positivity is essential when it comes to dealing with challenges in life. Researchers suggest that nearly 70 percent of our daily thoughts are governed by negativity. Most people are pre-occupied with ideas of pessimism, self-criticism, worry, fear, and other negative thoughts, which hamper their ability to deal with life adversities.
Empowering yourself to make a conscious effort to nurture positive feelings can solve many problems. Changing from ‘what’s good about the day’ to ‘it’s a beautiful day’ is one of the positive affirmations that can work wonders in changing your perception.
- Find Purpose in Life
Life serves you both good and bad. So setting a goal in life will help you stay motivated by making you proactive. It will help acknowledge and accept emotions during hard times, but it is also important to help foster self-discovery by asking yourself, “I should look for ways to get out of this situation and enjoy life once again”.
- Do Not Hesitate to Seek Professional Help
It is important to remember that you are not the only one who is suffering. All you need to do is keep moving ahead without letting the past unpleasant experiences bother you much as you cannot change them. But you can choose to still find hope in life.
If you are not able to do all this alone, contact Mind Health Network. We can tell you about reputed family treatment centers near you. Call our 24/7 helpline (866) 548-0190 to know more about effective family treatment programs running close to you. Live chat is also available at our website to help you connect with us.
