Building resilience

I think it is a chinese curse - 'May you live in interesting times.' These are certainly interesting times. Although the international financial recession is officially over in many countries, the knock-on effects are going to be felt for some time. That means lots of change to industries and the way we live our lives.

Throughout all this there have been a plethora of self-help articles talking about how bad it is to have stress..... how much stress everyone is under.... all the business hours lost due to stress.... how many peoples suffer medical conditions due to stress stress stress.

I think there is something missing from many modern people's personal arsenal... resilience.

Resilience in psychology is the positive capacity of people to cope with change, stress and catastrophe. Martial arts are a great way to develop resilience. One can argue that resilience is the biggest attribute that martial arts offers. Here are some practical tips on how to improve your resilience:

• Learn to accept change as inevitable, random and non-personal.
• Get a can-do attitude. All problems can be solved if you break them down into small, easy tasks.
• Learn to observe your mental dialogue, paying particular attention where you limit yourself.
• Be adaptable. If something doesn't work, merely modify your approach and try again.
• Take action - do something. Any action is better than doing nothing. You may be wrong to start with, but you can modify your approach.
• Work hard to discover your purpose in life.
• Broaden your outlook. Try to think about the biggest picture possible. The bigger you think, the smaller your problems will seem.
• Work on a positive self-image.
• Look after your health - exercise well, eat right and get plenty of sleep.
• Emotionally, be gentle with yourself and forgive. Nobody's perfect.
• Approach problems as an opportunity to learn and grow. Take a spiritual approach to your development (Please note, I am not talking about any beliefs, religion or dogma.)

Resilience is the antithesis to the victim mentality. Take up resilience and throw yourself into it. The bumps in the road will still be there, but your shock absorbers will make it feel smoother than it is.