You Are A Survivor

You Are A Survivor

You Are A Survivor

YOU, my friend, are full of goodness, strength, and resilience. You have survived the worst things that have ever happened to you, and you are stronger for it.

While it would be nice if it was smooth sailing from here on out, we know that life will continue to throw us curveballs. Fortunately, you don’t have to wait for a major setback or traumatic event to build resilience. As research for my newest book Mind Over Moment: Harness the Power of Resilience, I spent a lot of time learning what helps develop and maintain resilience and have boiled it down to three main areas:

Your mindset, skillset, and your ability to reset.

Mindset: Your brain is a survival machine! It will protect you from threats big and small, but to do that, it is always on the lookout for what’s wrong. Left to its own devices, your brain will make you miserable. To build a resilient mindset, understand that your brain gravitates toward the negative, telling you stories of how stressed you are and how hard life can be. While that may be true, none of those things are serving you.

Take your habits for example. How many of your habits support your mental well-being and how many sabotage it? The goal is not to change everything at once (your brain views change as a threat). Instead, pick one habit that will move you in the right direction. Remember, your mindset is a belief system, and your beliefs drive your behavior. The good news is that beliefs can be changed.

Skillset: While it seems counterintuitive, rather than focus on reducing stress, focus on increasing positive emotions. It has the same effect and helps to offset your brain’s negativity bias. Positive emotions let your brain know it’s safe. Here are just a few ways to cultivate positive emotions:

–Gratitude. Thousands of scientific studies have shown that practicing gratitude on a regular basis lowers blood pressure, reduces inflammation, improves heart health and sleep, improves decision making and problem solving, and lowers our levels of stress. The benefits are almost immediate. You don’t even have to find anything to be grateful for. The simple act of looking releases the feel-good neurochemicals serotonin and dopamine and lowers the stress hormone cortisol by 23%.

–Optimism. Aside from lowering cortisol and increasing dopamine and serotonin, people who practice optimism have fewer aches and pains, along with better physical and mental health. It has also been linked with higher income and more successful relationships. One of my favorite quotes about optimism is from Simon Sinek. He said, “Optimism is not wearing rose-colored glasses. Optimism is the belief that things will get better. That we will find a way to get out of it.” It is easier said than done when you’re in the middle of it, but choosing optimism means you are deliberate about the way you interpret the adversity in your life. Every situation, especially the cruddy ones, provides an opportunity to challenge our self-defeating, negative thoughts.

–Mindfulness is simply being where you are when you’re there. Mindfulness trains your mind to focus on the moment instead of worrying about what occurred in the past or what might happen in the future. This makes you less likely to hit the panic button, and reverses stress-related changes in the brain.

–Laughter is good for your soul and your brain. Studies show a genuine smile (one that involves facial muscles around the eyes) sparks a change in brain activity related to a good mood. Laughter lowers blood pressure, cooling your heart and calming your nervous system.

–Social connection is the greatest predictor of longevity. Surround yourself with people that lift you up, celebrate, and laugh with you.

-Make joy a priority. When planning your week, include activities that bring you joy. These are often the things that fall to the bottom of our to-do list, but cultivating joy provides the mental energy to get everything else done.

Reset: When you face a threat (real or perceived), your sympathetic nervous system kicks in to protect you. When you spend enough time there, it becomes your default way of thinking and behaving. Reset your nervous system by taking three, deep diaphragmatic breaths. Regulating your breathing sends a signal to your brain that you are safe.

A reset is also about is getting out of being busy and focusing on your high-payoff activities. A high-payoff activity is an activity that brings the greatest result for the time invested. Twenty percent of the tasks that we do on any given day generate 80 percent of our results. By identifying the tasks and responsibilities that bring the greatest return for time invested, you can focus on planning and prioritizing these activities.

Finally, a reset is about perspective. What is most important in your life and does the way you spend your time reflect that? Take the time to make sure your actions match your intentions.

Just like anything else, knowing what builds resilience isn’t enough. You have to actively practice these skills. When life knocks you down, or you think you don’t have what it takes to bounce back, remember, you have survived every obstacle you’ve been presented with. YOU’VE GOT THIS.

Stay brave and resilient,

Anne

Subscribe to Anne's #RoutineResilience Email!

Anne breaks down the daily habits and skills needed to grow and cultivate RESILIENCE.

Having friendships and a sense of belonging is considered a core psychological need and has a big impact on our physical and mental health.

In fact, it has been proven that social connection is one of the best predictors of longevity, which is why I`ve dedicated an entire module in the Resilience Reset Deep Dive to the importance of social connection to build resilience. Learn more 👉👉👉 https://www.annegradygroup.com/deepdive/

Here`s what my girls Wendy and Daisy have taught me about the importance of connection 🎥
...

Let’s face it - life is stressful. The lines between our personal and professional lives have blurred, we are overwhelmed by increased workloads and decreased resources, and there is an unprecedented amount of change and uncertainty.

Uncertainty often leads to anxiety because the brain tends to fill in the gaps with worst-case scenarios. You can help your brain cope with anxiety by practicing these skills 👇

1️⃣ Cultivate a Growth Mindset
2️⃣ Practice Mindfulness
3️⃣ Control the controllables
4️⃣ Break it down
5️⃣ Maintain Healthy Habits

More tips and strategies are in this month’s blog post. The link is in my bio!
...

Did you know that resilient teams have:

⭐️ 74% less stress AND 75% greater productivity
⭐️ Higher engagement and performance
⭐️ Improved Innovation and creativity
⭐️ Stronger relationships & Greater well-being

Using the latest research in neuroscience and psychology, the Resilience Reset Deep Dive provides a road map to developing resilient leaders, teams, and organizations. Interested in learning more? Here`s a sneak preview of one of the modules. 🎥👀
...

#ThrowbackThursday to a Tiger King Halloween 🐯 ...

Realistic optimism is a mindset that combines a positive outlook with a grounded understanding of reality. It involves maintaining hope and confidence while acknowledging and accepting the challenges and uncertainties of life.

Rather than denying or minimizing difficulties, approach situations with resilience, flexibility, and a belief in your ability to navigate obstacles effectively. You’ve got this. #mindfulmonday
...

We’ve all had those days where everything seems to go wrong. You wake up late, your coffee spills and your car won’t start. It’s easy to let a lousy morning spiral out of control and ruin your entire day.

Wherever we direct our attention becomes our reality. In other words, we find what we look for. Here are 3 things you can do to create a bad moment boundary:

1️⃣ Accept It: The sooner you can give it a quick “It is what it is” label, the better.

2️⃣ Put It in a Box: You can revisit the box later, but for now, the box holds this experience, and you don’t need to carry it.

3️⃣ Reset: Rather than jump into the next task or activity, take three deep breaths, extending the exhale.

For weekly resilience-building tips, tools, and strategies, sign up for my newsletter here 👇
https://www.annegradygroup.com/strong/

*Link is also in my bio*
...

This error message is only visible to WordPress admins
Error: Access Token is not valid or has expired. Feed will not update.
ANNE GRADY IS A SPEAKER, AUTHOR, AND #TRUTHBOMB DROPPER!

Anne Grady is a Speaker, Author, and #TruthBomb Dropper.

Anne shares practical strategies that can be applied both personally and professionally to improve relationships, navigate change, and triumph over adversity. And she’ll make you laugh while she does it. Anne is a two time TEDx speaker, and her work has been featured in numerous media outlets, including Harvard Business Review, Entrepreneur, Forbes, Fast Company and Inc. magazines, CNN, ESPN, and FOX Business. She is the best selling author of 52 Strategies for Life, Love & Work and Strong Enough: Choosing Courage, Resilience and Triumph.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Post comment