Building resilience

Have you found yourself saying "That's it, I'm dropping out" after the slightest inconvenience?

Do you constantly consider withdrawing from that one class because you lack the energy to be productive?

Are you having thoughts about giving up on your goals because you don't feel satisfied with your achievements?

If you answered yes to one of the questions above, you may be experiencing burnout.

A first step to overcoming this situation is to become aware of the resilience zone. When we are in control and lean on our strengths when challenges arise, we are in our resilience zone — the green 'ok zone' in the image above.

Since the pandemic has left us with a lot of stress and burnout, you may find that your experience is closer to the dotted gray line. Due to a stressful event, you may be stuck in the low or high zone and that is why the smallest of things can become triggers in your everyday life.

We don't automatically have resiliency, but we all do have the capacity to be resilient.

The next step after awareness is to take action. Here are three strategies you can implement right now to help you return to your resilient zone.

Shift and stay

Shift and stay means shifting your attention away from the stressful feelings and centering it on other pleasant sensations so you can stay there.

Exercise:

• Step 1: Notice what is happening in your body when you experience these thoughts, feelings, or sensations of unhappiness.
• Step 2: Direct your attention to more neutral places in your body that are more neutral. You can do this by focusing on:
  • A gesture that brings you peace. Such as, releasing your clenched jaw, relaxing your shoulders, or stretching your fingers.
  • The present. Notice how your hands touch the device you're using or how your eyes read these words.
  • A resource. This can be a favorite memory, things you like about yourself, or something you are looking forward to.
  • More comfortable places in your body. Laughing, yawning, crying, and smiling can all release the tension and create peace.

Fail forward fast

Failure is the ultimate driver of success. By learning from your mistakes, you can move forward and commit to your goals.

Exercise:

• Step 1: Reflect on a recent mistake you made. Determine the best way to overcome it, and create a strategy to avoid it happening again.

   

• Step 2: Seek advice from your ASU community and continue to learn from each day with an open mind and heart.
• Step 3: Accept your reality; we will all continue to fail and make mistakes. By accepting it, we gain freedom and clarity on how to happily keep going happily.

Cultivate forgiveness

Holding grudges against yourself, others, or events harms your physical and mental health. If you feel ready to forgive, you've taken a huge step towards self-compassion.

Exercise:

• Step 1: Breathe in and out naturally and focus on your breathing.
• Step 2: Identify someone or an event that you want to forgive.
• Step 3: Even though it may be challenging, focus on genuinely wishing them well and hoping they heal. Bring awareness to your thoughts and responses as you cultivate your compassion toward them.

Remind yourself that there is no one solution. You are you. If you don't see the strategies above don't work for you, please know you are still capable of resilience. Stress and struggles come in many forms and personalized help is always available to you. At ASU, counseling services are available in many different forms: walk-ins, tele-mental health, open call and open chat, and the EMPACT mental health line at 480-921-1006.

Once you build those resilience skills, you will build more kindness and compassion toward yourself.