The Secret To Building Unbreakable Resilience
As a parent, we’d love to ensure that our kids have the safest experience possible. Unfortunately, we can’t change that they will face challenges throughout their lifetime. But what we can do is give them the skillset to capitalize on their experiences and rise above the challenges that they face.
The skill that we can instill from the beginning is resilience. It’s something that can help children and adults just the same. Resilience is the ability to bounce back from stressful occurrences. It’s the ability to face down adversity and overcome it. When children master resilience, they become stronger, more adaptable, braver, and more curious versions of themselves. They are more able to find and reach their potential in the outside world.
The good news is that resilience can be nurtured and developed. Here’s more on how.
Building And Strengthening Resilience In Children
Encourage And Foster Relationships
It’s not self-reliance or inner strength that fosters resilience, but the presence of supportive relationships. Children can develop coping skills with loving adults. Adults have the ability to help children properly cope with stress. This can help children protect themselves from the long-term effects of psychological changes due to stress. Children can receive these effects from parents, teachers, coaches, or any positive influence in their lives.
Increase Their Exposure To People That Care About Them
Along similar lines, children benefit when they see the grown-ups that provide social support for them. More positive relationships can give kids a stronger sense of optimism, motivation, and higher self-esteem. Parents can let the children know who is in their corner cheering them on, when they might not be aware by letting them know who’s asked about them, and who is wishing them positive thoughts.
The Power Of Regular Exercise
Exercise can strengthen the mind and make it more resilient to stress. It can increase neurochemicals that better equip the brain for handling stressful times. Things like throwing a ball, going for a walk, playing tag, or just running around can help children grow more resilient. Of course, there is the martial arts as well. But when kids enjoy the physical activity, they partake in, they’re bound to repeat it more and stay active.
Encourage Them In All They Do And Foster A Sense Of Mastery
We are often quick to point out when children do something wrong, but reinforce when they did something right, too. Let them know when what they did was difficult or brave. Show them that you see them. You can encourage them to think independently and make their own decisions. When they have a sense of confidence, they are less likely to be reactive to the stressors in their lives.
Show Them What Resilience Looks Like
Children want to be just like their parents, and often model the behavior that they see. Next time that you face something adversarial in your life, it might be worth it to show your children how you cope with it. You can show your children that it’s acceptable to be sad, disappointed, or stuck. You can show them what it looks like to feel these emotions, and then bounce back.
Help Them To Develop A Growth Mindset
Children that believe we can grow and develop, and that the world will not always be the way it is now have a stronger capability for showing resilience. This can lead to a reduction in anxiety and stress and better feelings about themselves. As a parent, we can also show them examples of what resilience in the real world might look like. Jocko Willink’s book series The Way of the Warrior Kid can help them see how resilience could help them in their lives.
Build Resilience Through The Martial Arts
Discipline and the willingness to try new experiences can help you build resilience. TM Martial Arts can help children and adults develop resiliency through the martial arts. If you’d like to explore self-improvement and resiliency through learning a new skill, contact us today!