Short messages on Mental health, stress and anxiety issues from Respect Yourself, the guidance site for young people to help make good decisions in life.
Mindfulness is about focusing on what is happening right now, rather than replaying things that happened in the past or worrying about what’s going to happen next. It takes a lot of practice to build the mindfulness habit.
Ecotherapy can help build your confidence through enabling you to meet and overcome new challenges, trying new activities and learning new skills, which can increase your confidence to try new things in other areas of your life, and increasing your motivation to stay active.
Doing physical activity is known to have many physical and mental health benefits; getting more regular social contact with people can reduce loneliness and boost self-esteem; being surrounded by nature can boost your overall mood and sense of wellbeing.
Trying new things, such as sitting in a different seat in meetings or going somewhere new for lunch, can help you notice the world in a new way.
To add mindfulness to your daily routine, it can be helpful to pick a regular time – the morning journey to work or a walk at lunchtime – during which you decide to be aware of the sensations created by the world around you.
If you don’t have people in your life who provide the kinds of external supports that help build resilience, be proactive in searching out mentors who care about you and believe in your potential, for example some high schools and colleges have mentoring programs.
Thinking “I would like to do well in my assignments, and I will try my hardest” is healthy and appropriate because it is flexible – it doesn’t demand that it must be perfect. This talk doesn’t create stress because the thoughts are preferences rather than “shoulds” or rigid rules.
Things won’t always work out the way that you would like. Whilst some of our thoughts of how things “should” be are helpful, when you hold onto these beliefs in an absolute, inflexible way, it raises your chances of feeling bad about yourself and can damage your self-esteem.
Having people in your life who care about you, help you through tough times and believe in your abilities and strengths, and being part of a community that provides opportunities for meaningful participation (decision making/contributing your talents), will help you become more resilient.
A number of protective factors contribute to your ability to be resilient when faced with adversity. Some are outside of our control and some are within your control, that you can learn and develop.