Feeling Overwhelmed?
Tuesday, April 05, 2011
Life Coach Donna Chamoff has more great tips for all of Suzy's readers...
Are you feeling like a rubber band stretched to your limit? If your answer is yes, you need to develop your resiliency.
“Resiliency is the ability to spring back from and successfully adapt to adversity.”
This means being able to recover from tragedy, trauma or extreme stress and lead an even more productive life. How people react to difficult events in their life defines their resiliency. The death of a loved one, serious illness, job loss, divorce and other traumatic events are challenging life experiences. Why do some people emerge stronger and better than before the stressful event and others fall into despair? The answer is their degree of resiliency.
Resilience is not a trait that people either have or don’t have. It involves behaviors, thoughts and actions that can be learned and developed.
Why be Resilient?
-People with resiliency skills have a significant advantage over those who act helpless or like victims.
-They cope better with the pressures of everyday life (kids, job, husband, parents).
- Resilient people have better health and energy.
-High levels of resiliency allow you to overcome problems (illness, death of a loved one, job loss, divorce) more easily.
-Resilience helps you to change your way of working or living if the old way is no longer possible or not serving you well.
Additionally resilience allows you to:
Make realistic plans and take steps to carry them out.
Have a positive view of yourself and confidence in your strengths and abilities.
Develop skills in communication and problem solving.
Build the capacity to manage strong feelings and impulses.
You can develop your resiliency by looking at past experiences for sources of personal strength.
Some questions to ask:
What kinds of events or situations have been most stressful?
How have those events typically affected you?
Who do you reach out to for support during a stressful situation?
What have you learned about yourself and interaction with others during difficult times?
How have you been able to overcome obstacles in the past?
What has helped you to feel more hopeful about the future?
Try this exercise to help you take control of emotional reactions. Make two lists.
List One
Write five things that make you feel distressed, anxious or upset. Then write about the feelings associated with these items.
List Two
Write about five uplifting experiences or activities that bring you joy. Describe how each makes you feel good.
How can you reduce the unpleasant experiences and increase the positive ones?
Developing resiliency is a personal journey. It involves behaviors, thoughts and actions that can be learned and developed. The important thing to remember is that you are responsible for your own well being.
If you would like to put more fun and less worry into your life, contact Donna at:
Donna L. Chamoff
MS, CPT, CPC
Are you feeling like a rubber band stretched to your limit? If your answer is yes, you need to develop your resiliency.
“Resiliency is the ability to spring back from and successfully adapt to adversity.”
This means being able to recover from tragedy, trauma or extreme stress and lead an even more productive life. How people react to difficult events in their life defines their resiliency. The death of a loved one, serious illness, job loss, divorce and other traumatic events are challenging life experiences. Why do some people emerge stronger and better than before the stressful event and others fall into despair? The answer is their degree of resiliency.
Resilience is not a trait that people either have or don’t have. It involves behaviors, thoughts and actions that can be learned and developed.
Why be Resilient?
-People with resiliency skills have a significant advantage over those who act helpless or like victims.
-They cope better with the pressures of everyday life (kids, job, husband, parents).
- Resilient people have better health and energy.
-High levels of resiliency allow you to overcome problems (illness, death of a loved one, job loss, divorce) more easily.
-Resilience helps you to change your way of working or living if the old way is no longer possible or not serving you well.
Additionally resilience allows you to:
Make realistic plans and take steps to carry them out.
Have a positive view of yourself and confidence in your strengths and abilities.
Develop skills in communication and problem solving.
Build the capacity to manage strong feelings and impulses.
You can develop your resiliency by looking at past experiences for sources of personal strength.
Some questions to ask:
What kinds of events or situations have been most stressful?
How have those events typically affected you?
Who do you reach out to for support during a stressful situation?
What have you learned about yourself and interaction with others during difficult times?
How have you been able to overcome obstacles in the past?
What has helped you to feel more hopeful about the future?
Try this exercise to help you take control of emotional reactions. Make two lists.
List One
Write five things that make you feel distressed, anxious or upset. Then write about the feelings associated with these items.
List Two
Write about five uplifting experiences or activities that bring you joy. Describe how each makes you feel good.
How can you reduce the unpleasant experiences and increase the positive ones?
Developing resiliency is a personal journey. It involves behaviors, thoughts and actions that can be learned and developed. The important thing to remember is that you are responsible for your own well being.
If you would like to put more fun and less worry into your life, contact Donna at:
Donna L. Chamoff
MS, CPT, CPC
