# Building Resilience Through Self Care

- Link: https://lifeandwork.blog/building-resilience-through-self-care/
- Published: 2026-09-18T10:27:13-05:00
- Author: Bert Swope

Resilience involves adapting well to trauma, tragedy and sources of significant 
stress, whether this includes emotional discomfort and discomfort or personal growth.

Self-care practices can help relieve stress, boost energy and promote overall health.
Remind yourself that difficult times don’t exist in black and white terms and keep
things in perspective.

## 1. Get Plenty of Sleep

Sleep is essential to both our emotional and physical well-being, and is an integral
component of self-care that builds resilience against trauma, stress, and other 
challenges. Establishing healthy sleeping habits is an integral component of self-
care that helps individuals build resilience in the face of trauma, stress, or other
hurdles in life. Resilient individuals may not be immune from stressors such as 
trauma and stressors but are better able to adapt and recover more quickly; research
indicates this might be related to brain circuits and structures associated with
coping such as prefrontal cortex function or emotional regulation processes; sleep
plays an integral part by stabilizing neurotransmitters and hormones that influence
mood.

Studies on resilience’s impact on sleep have demonstrated that participants with
higher psychological resilience experienced better quality rest than those with 
lower resilience levels. Researchers theorized that this may be because those with
greater psychological resilience are better at controlling emotions and remaining
focused, which allows them to approach challenges more calmly while responding thoughtfully
rather than reacting impulsively to challenges they encounter.

Individuals who prioritize sleep and make it a non-negotiable component of their
self-care plan can help combat chronic deprivation by setting a consistent bedtime
and forgoing caffeine, alcohol and heavy meals before bed. Furthermore, relaxation
techniques like deep breathing or meditation may promote restful nights’ rest.

## 2. Take a Bath or Shower

Caretaking of one’s physical body can help build resilience. This may include getting
adequate rest, eating healthily and staying hydrated as well as participating in
activities that reduce stress such as yoga or meditation. Another strategy for building
resilience involves decreasing workload to prevent burnout or mental fatigue.

Self-care may seem like just another buzzword, but its importance cannot be overstated
for first responders and others working in high-stress environments. Self-care not
only promotes health and wellness but can also aid individuals’ ability to adapt
to trauma and stressful events more easily. Self-care could take the form of taking
long showers or baths or playing recreational sports regularly – the possibilities
for self-care are truly endless!

Taken cold showers may help build resilience as it’s believed to have a soothing
effect on the autonomic nervous system, leading to reduced anxiety and increased
capacity to manage stressful situations. Furthermore, research suggests that warm
shower followed by cold rinse activates natural endorphin release leading to enhanced
mood and well-being – one study even measured mood states using 6-item POMS measures
during immersion bathing intervention versus showering intervention; results demonstrated
significantly fewer tension-anxiety scores as well as depression-dejection scores
during immersion bathing intervention vs showering interventions.

## 3. Spend Time with Others

Building strong support networks can make life less overwhelming when dealing with
trauma and other stressors. From social gatherings with friends to book clubs, prioritizing
genuine connections will help lessen feelings of isolation while giving meaning 
and purpose to life’s challenges.

Socially supportive activities like gratitude journaling, savoring, and self-compassion
practices are great ways to increase emotional regulation and build resilience. 
Furthermore, practicing these techniques may also help break irrational thought 
patterns such as catastrophizing difficulties or thinking the world is against you,
which can further drain resources from you.

Resilience is often perceived as an inborn characteristic, yet it can actually be
developed like any muscle through training and practice. One effective way of combatting
stress and improving quality of life is building resilience skills, such as connection,
wellness, healthy thinking and meaning – by doing this you can increase your ability
to rebound after hardships arise.

## 4. Practice Mindfulness

Mindfulness is a practice designed to reduce stress and anxiety. It involves being
present in each moment while becoming intentional with how we handle emotions. Although
meditation may provide some benefits, mindfulness can also be integrated into everyday
routines through activities like taking time to observe your senses or focus on 
breathing deeply.

Studies have revealed the numerous benefits of mindfulness for emotional resilience.
By teaching individuals to observe their thoughts and emotions instead of letting
them run amok, mindfulness promotes more measured responses to life’s surprises.
Furthermore, regular mindfulness practices have been found to lower cortisol levels–
mitigating both physical and psychological effects associated with stress.

Millennials may be among those most severely impacted by this pandemic, and research
indicates that mindfulness practices may contribute to greater personal well-being(
PWB) and resilience to adversity. But remember: mindfulness takes time and practice.
Therefore, choose techniques you can integrate easily into daily life to build resilience–
then stick with them!

## 5. Eat Healthy

Eating healthily can help alleviate anxiety. Focus on eating whole foods rather 
than processed sugars, and be sure to drink enough water and get sufficient restful
sleep.

An effective support network can also aid in building resilience. Sharing what’s
causing stress with friends and family can make you feel less alone; conversely,
this provides the chance for assistance if necessary.

Therapists can be invaluable resources in terms of helping to overcome trauma and
build resilience. They can teach you skills that will allow you to cope better in
difficult situations while also working to identify any underlying emotional issues
which might be contributing to distress.

Training that builds personal resilience may involve using practices and tools such
as mindfulness, social support, stress management techniques and exercise (Cooper&
Schulte, 2022). Cognitive reframing exercises may also help individuals more efficiently
process stressful or traumatic experiences and can lower the risk of post-traumatic
stress disorder (PTSD; Van Der Kolk 2014). Resilience-based training also increases
confidence in your ability to cope with stressful situations while building resilience.

## 6. Exercise

Exercise has a powerful impact on resilience and it is key for dealing with stressful
situations. Any form of physical activity, from walking and running to yoga and 
breathing exercises can improve mood while counteracting the harmful effects of 
stress on our bodies. Mindful meditation techniques like yoga or breathing exercises
may even further boost resilience by decreasing anxiety levels.

Resilience training is preventive in nature, building strategies to manage challenges
before they arise (Brassington & Lomas, 2020). Resilience activities like taking
the VIA Survey can help individuals identify their signature strengths and assess
how these have been utilized during tough times – all of which work towards building
self-efficacy, purposefulness and an overall resilient identity.

Physical exercise behavior has a strong positive correlation with psychological 
resilience and mediates social sensitivity and need to belong, leading to robust
psychological resilience. Facilitating group resilience activities like gratitude
journaling, savoring, resilience storytelling or vulnerability journaling helps 
increase interpersonal resilience while simultaneously increasing psychological 
flexibility and well-being (East et al. 2022). Furthermore, taking an inclusive 
participatory approach when identifying community needs and strengths may support
your work as a health care provider during difficult times.

## 7. Take a Break

Resilience isn’t something that comes naturally; rather it’s a learned behavior 
that can be taught and practiced to increase an individual’s chance of surviving
and thriving through challenging times while increasing life satisfaction, meaning,
and purpose.

Building resilience doesn’t guarantee an individual won’t experience emotional distress
or pain, but there are ways to reduce its intensity. Journaling, meditation, yoga,
and prayer are among many techniques which can help lower stress, enhance mental
health and restore hope.

Resting and taking breaks are an integral component of self-care, but the frequency
and duration can differ depending on an individual’s needs. It is suggested that
individuals try to take at least one 30-minute break per day throughout the day 
as well as two longer breaks-one in the middle of the day and another later during
the evening.

Although there are various other strategies available for building resilience, these
seven suggestions provide a great starting point. By practicing them regularly, 
individuals can learn how to quickly recover from setbacks while turning them into
opportunities for personal development.

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