We talk about emotional intelligence all the time – but we don’t talk much about emotional resilience. Emotional resilience is your ability to respond to stressful or unexpected situations and crises. While the amount of emotional resilience you have is often predetermined by your age, identity, and what you’ve experienced in your life, it is still something that you can work on improving.
Here’s why developing your emotional resilience can give you an edge in business:
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You can adapt quicker and better: When you’re able to analyze situations quickly without losing time to your negative thoughts born from negative emotions, you can pivot and take action a lot faster.
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You can better handle uncertainty: Emotional resilience will allow you to focus on what you can control and avoid spiraling thoughts.
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You can make better decisions: When you have a handle on your emotions, they won’t cloud your judgment as much. As a result, you can think more clearly and make better decisions.
How to Develop Your Emotional Resilience
1. REGULARLY DO HARD THINGS
Push yourself to go outside your comfort level and do hard things. Whether it’s taking on a new project at work that feels a bit outside your wheelhouse, or finding the courage to be vulnerable with someone close to you when you normally feel uncomfortable doing so — do more of the things you naturally avoid.
2. FEARLESSLY CONFRONT REALITY
We’re not necessarily talking about confronting other people but more about confronting life itself. Accept reality as something that is beyond your control and as it is. Looking at life through rose-colored lenses won’t make the journey any easier for you. Be practical with your expectations, and you will find yourself more resilient when things don’t work out perfectly.
3. PRACTICE MINDFULNESS AND MEDITATION
Gaining control over your thoughts and learning how to quiet the voices in your head is a skill that is easily applicable to all aspects of your life (and work). We’re not saying you should block out all feelings, but learning how to stop the spiraling thoughts will help you push forward and develop emotional resilience in tough times.
4. SET BOUNDARIES
Enforcing your feelings over other people’s needs and wants of you by being stern about your boundaries is a great way to increase your emotional resilience. Get comfortable with prioritizing your feelings, and practice saying “no” whenever you need to.
5. BE OPTIMISTIC
Your mind is everything. To surpass great obstacles, you must first confront reality and the fact that not everything is in your control, but also realize that you are in control of YOU.
All in all, life can take an ugly turn quite quickly. But it’s through these tough times that you develop the skills and wisdom to face the next storm that will inevitably come your way.