Let’s face it, it’s still winter and the skies in Ohio are grey, grey and greyer! It’s tough to feel hopeful…but Spring is just around the corner! People are experiencing a lot of stress; it seems more than ever.

Just how do we stay resilient or “bounce back” when we are facing troubled times? We tend to ruminate when something is difficult and anxiety producing. Our mental wheels turn with no place to go. One way to stop this is to “change the narrative” by doing some writing, with pen and paper ideally, to explore your feelings and thoughts about what you’re concerned about. Once you’ve done that you could then write down what the glimmers are. For example, you might conflict with a friend or family member, but you talk it out. The positive side of this is that perhaps long-held feelings were expressed and are no longer taking up your mental space.

Make sure to address your self-care needs. When we’re stressed, sometimes the first thing we forget to do is to nurture ourselves. Stress can cause us to lose our appetite or eat more than normal, ignore exercise/movement, and lose sleep. Focus on the small steps that you can take today to build your self-care.

Some action steps to take when facing tough times are to focus on what you do have control over and take steps to accomplish those items. Become involved in your life by volunteering, leaning on your support system a little more, or being creative in some way. These activities take us “out of ourselves” and our worries.

Another practice is to become aware of your thinking—noticing without judgement. You start by pausing and saying to yourself “I am thinking …”. The next step is to offer yourself some compassion and kindness that you would extend to a friend or loved one. Dr. Kristin Neff suggests putting your hand over your heart to really get a felt sense of providing self-compassion. Finally, remind yourself that you are not alone in your experience. Find a “mantra” to say to yourself to replace the worry and fear, such as “I am hopeful despite how I feel.”

Start today to build your resilience by trying one of these practices. If you need counseling support, you can always reach out to The Ohio State University Employee Assistance Program (EAP) by calling 800-678-6265 or go online here.