Bouncing Back from Setbacks

I Get Knocked Down, But I Get Up Again

Do you feel that you are resilient, or do you feel that when you “get knocked down” you stay down for quite a while before you climb your way up?

Bouncing back from setbacks comes easily to some, but it can be learned, which means that YOU can be resilient and not let setbacks in life hold you back and keep you down.

Here are some ideas to help you train your mind to be more resilient so that you can bounce back from setbacks.

It’s not what happens to you, it’s how you react.

How do you choose to react when something happens?

Do you wallow in sadness, anger, fear? Consciously step back the next time something happens, give yourself grace for what you are feeling and then take a breath, refocus and flip the switch to a more positive thought

ie: You get a flat tire and are stuck on the side of the road.

You are annoyed, angry, a little scared because you don’t know how long you will be there, how you will get it fixed.

In this example, feel those feelings but work to take a deep breath, don’t let the feelings consume you. In this case, start thinking to yourself about why it isn’t as bad as it looks. For instance

• You could have been in an accident

• You have your phone and can call for help

Be grateful for lessons learned.

Sometimes failures in our lives are really a great way to learn a lesson that can help you when you do something next. Focus on what you learned as opposed to what happened or didn’t happen in the circumstance.

ie: You didn’t reach a sales goal with your job. Again, you can feel bad, but then flip the switch, look back and think of what you did or didn’t do, and how you can do it differently the next time.

How can you turn it around?

When certain things are bothering you and causing you to stay stuck, these tools can help you turn it around depending on the issue.

• Procrastination - DON’T let it stop you from doing what you need to. Procrastination is really fear in disguise. When you find yourself procrastinating, it may seem strange, but re energize yourself and get up and move for five minutes, and THEN tackle the thing you were procrastinating about

• You are overwhelmed by A LOT OF LITTLE THINGS - Help yourself by having a quick pick me up to focus off of the negative: perhaps make a cup of tea, turn on a favorite song and dance around the room, then tackle just ONE thing. Don’t think about the whole list. Just one thing. Then look at the next.

• Too much to do - Take some breaths, use a breathing app, yoga break. In other words, do something calming.

• Your mind is racing - try meditation, listen to calming music etc

• Worried - write down how and what you are worried about and release your feelings.

You can workout your brain, just like your biceps! Train your brain to build up strength in the right places and at the right times too.

I talk more about resilience and pushing past fear in a recent podcast interview on The Grow To Be Free podcast with Kiani Williams. Here is the link to check it out. Let me know what AHA moment you took away from this blog and the podcast!

Listen to the Podcast