Practice these Mental Exercises and You’ll be More Resilient in the Face of Traumatic Experiences

Being book smart is seen as a requirement for people to succeed.

There’s another kind of intelligence that’s unfortunately often looked over though– emotional intelligence. This is a measure of your ability to discern your feelings and manage them to adapt to certain situations or to reach your goals.

Having high emotional intelligence or emotional quotient (EQ) is also a great defense in the face of traumatic experiences. Here’s how you can improve your EQ and become a more resilient person, according to author Kristin Harper.

Practice Mindfulness

Yolya Ilyasova/Shutterstock: Practice mindful breathing in your daily life to keep stress at bay and keep you in control of your reactions to whatever life throws at you

Mindfulness is all the hype on social media these days but it’s more than just a trend. It’s also an important psychological process that’ll help you be aware of your feelings and thoughts more clearly.

Some psychologists describe mindfulness as the ability to pause, reflect, and choose wisely. An emphasis is placed on reflection, which entails taking ownership of the actions and words that put you in your current situation.

A New Perspective

G-Stock Studio/Shutterstock: Feeling like you’re in control will enable you to make the best out of the challenges you may face in your day to day life

According to research, the most resilient people are those who believe that they have control over the things that happen in their life. Reframing your perception of life to this mindset would also help you deal better with the unideal.

One way you can take charge is by improving your emotional vocabulary. There are studies that show that having the ability to translate feelings to words can calm the part of the brain that controls emotions.

Also, expressing what you feel can make it easier for you to get to the bottom of what may be making you feel bad.

The Victim Mindset

It’s easy to fall into a victim mindset when you feel like life threw you more than you can handle. Fight the urge to ask ‘why me?’ and focus on seeing hardships as learning opportunities instead.

This also means letting go of anger and forgiving the people you feel contributed to your pain, even if it’s yourself. Remember that forgiveness breaks the ties that keep you in the past so you can finally move forward.

Seeking Support

fizkes/Shutterstock: Don’t be afraid to reach out to people whenever you’re feeling overwhelmed

Facing life’s challenges on your own is never easy. It’s best if you keep yourself surrounded by a support system of family, friends, or even work colleagues to help you go through tough situations.

Research shows that extroverted people happen to be resilient as well because they are more likely to seek support.