Understanding The Four Dimensions Of Resilience

We, human beings, are the most resilient creatures on earth. We’ve lived through and are still living with natural disasters, epidemics, pandemics, catastrophic calamities, wars, death, famine, climate change, and great periods of depression.

But where our collective resilience shines (especially during the darkest times), our individual resilience needs to be strengthened - on all four dimensions.

The Dimensions of Resilience :

Physical Resilience

Physical resilience is your body’s capacity to survive and thrive despite facing challenges and adapting to changing conditions (both internally and externally). 

Improve your physical resilience: 

• Walk and exercise daily (or as frequently as you can).
• Eat healthily and stay well-nourished at all times.
• Sleep at least six to eight hours a day.
• Avoid stress as it can destroy your body from within.
• Pursue mentally and physically stimulating activities. 

Mental Resilience

Mental resilience is how quickly and efficiently you adapt to psychological challenges, and how long you can go about before breaking down when dealing with constant physical strength.

Enhance your mental resilience:

• Find a purpose in life and keep moving towards it.
• Learn to break down huge problems into small, manageable pieces.
• Give your mind a break every now and then.
• Seek healthy mental stimulants: Music, art, books, good company, etc.
• Understand, acknowledge & appreciate your uniqueness.
• Seek help. 

Emotional Resilience

Emotional resilience is your ability to prevent your negative emotions from leading you to a mentally or physically destructive path and levering positive emotions for growth and success.

Build your emotional resilience:

• Learn to regulate your emotions.
• Practice empathy.
• Find your center and strengthen your core.
• Learn to process your emotions.
• Don’t be afraid of seeking help.

Social Resilience

Social resilience is your ability to keep interacting with the people around you and creating new social connections even when it’s out of your comfort zone and staying a functional member of society while absorbing social threats.

Strengthen your social resilience :

• Work on your communication skills.
• Empathize and learn what motivates others.
• Love, respect & accept yourself.
• Do not lose yourself to society’s demands and expectations.
• Accept people as they are, without bias & judgment.