Build Resilience With An Adaptive Mindset

This lecture identifies obstacles that keep people from being highly resilient. The common obstacles are social training, stress perception, external loci of control, and unhealthy coping mechanisms. Social training that defers obedience and codependence discourages us from finding peace within ourselves. We must defend ourselves from toxic stress and strain. We must reject the idea that we have no control over our circumstances. Lastly, in the absence of mental wellness, we tend to turn to unhealthy coping mechanisms. By recognising these obstacles, we are one step closer to overcoming them.

Download the Identifying Your Barriers worksheet.

This lecture is a self-directed guide to increase your level of resilience. It defines self-directed learning, outlines resilience skills to learn, and goes over some reading recommendations. The goal of self-directed learning is to help you accept the responsibilities that fall on you. It outlines eleven different resilience skills and discusses how to prioritise your goals. Lastly, it offers some self-help books to study.

Download the Self-Directed Learning worksheet.

This lecture outlines some meditation techniques steeped in spirituality. There are three Buddhist terms that name complex feelings and emotional goals: Middle Way, Re-Dok, and Maitri. There are three truths that overlap with resilience training: impermanence, suffering, and egolessness. There are also three meditation strategies: no more struggle, using poison as medicine, and the manifestation of awakened energy. Remember that even if you don't utilise Buddhist meditation in your resilience training, it is worthwhile to at least try mindfulness.

Download the Spirituality and Meditation worksheet.

This lecture details what mindfulness is. Practising mindfulness should anchor your mental attention and physical sensation together in the present moment. It highlights the mantra "I seek the serenity to accept what I cannot change, the courage to change what I can, and the wisdom to know the difference." Lastly, it outlines a body-scan meditation that addresses emotional, cognitive, and physical aspects of your pain. These mindfulness exercises can help increase adaptiveness.

Download the Gratitude and Mindfulness worksheet.

This lecture looks at models of philosophical resilience from five groups of ancient philosophers: the Stoics, Epicureans, Pythagoreans, Plutarchans and Aristotelians. Each philosophy takes a different approach towards living a better, more fulfilling life. Any of them can be incorporated by any individual.

Download the Ancient Philosophy and Resilience worksheet.

This lecture goes over the differences between pessimism and optimism, the benefits of optimism, and outlines an ABC method of adopting optimism and eliminating negative self-talk. In short, pessimists allow events to reflect negatively on their self-worth while optimists accept events as short-term setbacks. Being an optimist means you have a stronger immune system, encounter fewer perceived negative life events, and maintain relationships. By eliminating negative self-talk, you can start your journey to being an optimist too.

Download the Learned Optimism worksheet.

In this conciliatory lecture, we review what the last nine lectures were and outline some exercises for resilience. The first exercise is to review experiences that made you irritated, upset or distressed. By reviewing them, you can create a plan to avoid negative experiences and create positive ones. The second exercise is a rating scale for different examples of resilience. After completing the resilience exercises you have completed the course. Good job!

Download the Resilience Exercises worksheet.