“I can be changed by what happens to me. But I refuse to be reduced by it.” ― Maya Angelou
Spiritual resilience is the key to joy, happiness, and leading a soul-hearted life. It gives you the strength not only to rise above adversity, but to use it as a springboard for personal growth. It makes the difference between merely surviving or thriving. Genuine resilience helps you handle challenging or difficult situations with trust rather than fear and trepidation.
You are spiritually designed to be resilient and thrive! It was natural for you as a young child. After weathering my abusive childhood, the loss of my mother at eight years old to drug addiction, my father’s multiple remarriages to women who were narcissistic or schizophrenic, and changing schools every two years, I learned to bounce back quickly from adversity and devastating circumstances.
From these experiences, I was challenged to remain open and optimistic, trusting that my spirit was stronger than any situation I could possibly face. With every challenge, I realized, came even greater personal transformation. I not only survived, but thrived, not letting life’s circumstances reduce me.
When you perceive life from this spiritual perspective, you view problems, challenges, or difficulties as opportunities for change. You flow gracefully through life’s challenges instead of feeling powerless, overwhelmed, or stuck. You find the emotional balance in the midst of distress, let go of your expectations and “go with the flow.” Open and receptive, you tap into this divine flow of energy and trust that whatever is happening in your life is for your highest and greatest evolution. Thus, the more you lead a spiritually attuned life, the more resilient you become.
Here are 3 Sacred Strategies to Build Your Spiritual Resilience:
Develop a Positive “Miracle” Mindset
Research suggests that resilient people “bounce back” from negative emotions and experiences quickly and effectively. In fact, they use optimism to cope with and find meaning in difficult or challenging situations. By developing a positive miracle mindset, you become more resilient to stress, anxiety and disease. Most of all, resilient people sustain a high vibrational energy which contributes to their physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being.
Studies show that to undo the devastating effects of negative thinking, you need three times as many positive thoughts to override the negative ones. Change the way you think, and you change the feedback loop that begins in the brain. Your brain is naturally resilient; thus, the process of neuroplasticity gives you the ability to change your “neural wiring.” Acknowledging your blessings, growth, and joy rewire your brain and create new neuropathways that focus on positivity. Positive thoughts also elevate the vibration of the cells in your body and program them for wellness.
Look for something positive everyday even if some days you have to look harder. Dwelling on the positive things in your life moves you toward the tipping point of positivity. Real experiences of awe, wonder, joy, inspiration, happiness, gratefulness, contentment, and connectedness–anything good in your life, needs to be given focused attention. Doing so shifts your mindset toward the good things in your life, which, in turn, allows for genuine resilience.
As your day comes to a close, allow yourself to think about three positive things that happened during the day and why they happened. Spending 5 minutes each day writing about what “went well” and “why” results in lower stress levels and resilience toward disease. Focusing on what’s going well in your life builds confidence and gives you the motivation to thrive.
Be Flexible:
Like a bamboo tree in a storm, flexibility allows you to bend without breaking, make lemons into lemonade, and turn stumbling blocks into steppingstones. It helps you to view problems as opportunities for change and remain open, receptive, and adaptable as life unfolds.
Being flexible takes a radical trust and acceptance of yourself, others, and the constant changes in your life. It doesn’t mean you’re passively tolerant of what you don’t like, ignore injustice, or give in to everyone’s whims. On the contrary, you’re able to “go with the flow” and trust that what is happening in your life is an opportunity for growth and change.
You may feel disappointed when life doesn’t go the way you think it should. As a result, you try to micromanage every situation―which, of course, only makes things worse. Rather than attempting to control events through sheer force of will, lean into the experience, breathe deeply, and relax rather than resist. Let go of any expectations, preconceived plans, and embrace that what has come your way is for your soul’s evolution. This will help you stay presently aware, peaceful, and make positive use of the challenging situation that has come into your life.
Let go of trying to control other people or situations you cannot change. Use the Serenity Prayer when you need a reminder to accept the things you cannot change (other people), the courage to change the things you can (yourself), and the wisdom to know the difference. While you can’t control other people or certain situations, you can choose how you respond to them.
Mindfully Respond rather than React:
Studies show that people who respond rather than react when life comes at them are emotionally resilient. Even though they may have the same setbacks and disappointments as others, they don’t personalize them, blame themselves, or feel like there’s something wrong with them. By taking responsibility or “response–able,” you take back your power to respond rather than react, a power you never lose as long as you live. This power to mindfully respond comes from your heart (soul) whereas reacting comes from your head (ego).
When you find yourself reacting to any person or situation: pause, take some deep breaths, drop into your heart space, and tune in to your inner self. This pause immediately breaks the knee-jerk reactions so you can observe the situation from a more expansive perspective and respond from your heart. The earlier you catch your reaction, the easier it is to restore your emotional balance and be responsive.
Reflect on a recent situation when you were faced with a fear or challenge. What was your predominant mindset? Did you react from your head (fear), “Why did this happen to me?” or Did you respond from your heart (trust), “What is this situation revealing to me about myself?” If you reacted by blaming, judging, or berating yourself or others, you reinforced a negative mindset. This actually supports the fear-based feedback and creates more worries. However, if you responded with trust that everything will be ok, you strengthened a positive mindset.
Accepting what shows up in your life, whether it’s uplifting or challenging supports a miracle mindset and genuine resilience. There’s always a spiritual lining to every moment in your life. How you perceive it makes the difference between it being a miracle or a mess. Chose to see the miracle.
