Supercharge your resilience

If we do the work of becoming more and more resilient, the pay-off is huge. We can expand our comfort-zone into infinity. When new experiences evoke uncomfortable feelings, this is an opportunity to expand our resilience.

Every time when we resist the urges to react or to sidestep the uncomfortable experience – every time when we tolerate the discomfort, until the discomfort dissolves – that is when we increase resilience. We can become more resilient than we ever imagined possible. By resisting the urge to react, we also grow in many other ways, especially – we increase mindfulness, wisdom and compassion.

RESILIENCE MEDITATION

I acknowledge that there are many benefits to increasing my emotional resilience. I acknowledge that it is a human instinct to react when feeling afraid. I do not judge myself, instead I become curious about the fear I experience in different situations. While sometimes fear is ligitimate and protective, I acknowledge that sometimes fear can be somewhat irrational. I acknowledge that I may be able to resist the urges to react to irrational fear and thereby opening myself up to new experiences. I increase my ability to tolerate the discomfort I may experience in new experience. When I resist the urges to react to feelings of fear, and observe and regulate my body sensations that express the fear, I am bound to become more resilient. One experience at a time, I build up stronger and stronger resilience.

I remember the recipe – to acknowledge and tolerate the uncomfortable feelings. I resist the urge to suppress the feeling, I resist the urge to react – instead I keep observing the feeling without judgement, with a sense of curiousity. I keep in mind that this effort is guaranteed to increase my resilience. Expanding my comfort zone is where awesome emotional growth happens.

While meditating, if sensations of fear arise in my body, I acknowledge and observe the sensations, without trying to change them. I resist the urge to react – this is how I become more resilient.

AFFIRMATIONS:

• I say no to hiding out in a tiny comfort zone
• I try new things – I learn and improve
• I resist the urges to shrink back
• I keep raising the bar
• I make steady progress
• I hold my head high in any situation
• I behave gracefully in any situation
• I am building up my potent resilience
• I become able to face all of life with resilience
• I resist the urges to avoid uncomfortable situations that are opportunities for growth
• By tolerating the emotional discomfort, I become tolerant and resilient.
• My resilience ignites my compassion for others

REAPPRAISALS:

If fear or discomfort arise, when I reach an obstacle, I regulate the feelings and get on with overcoming the obstacle.

If fear of failure arise, I acknowledge that failure is a stepping stone to success. I embrace the unknown and the uncomfortable feelings. I do not expect myself to know all the answers or to predict the future. I  do not allow anything to hold me back. I do my best, and I keep learning. I acknowledge and observe the uncomfortable feelings of fear, without judgement, with curiosity, thereby processing and dissolving the emotions. I keep going.

If discomfort arise in a new situation, I resist the urge to react, I observe the sensations without judgement, thereby increasing my resilience. The more I put myself out there, the more an eduring sense of resilience radiates from me, which nurtures my self-belief and self-confidence.

Whatever difficult emotions I experience, I make sure that I regulate them, meaning I allow them to be expressed, processed and then they naturally dissolve.