This Newsletter at a Glance:

🦋 What Is Emotional Resilience?

⚡ TL/DR: Is Resilience a Superpower?

🌊 Sol Bites: 4 Habits to Cultivate Resilience

▶️ Video Bite: Brandon McCullen on Resilience

📖 Words of Wisdom

🌱 Cultivating Purpose

Emotionally resilient people have a secret weapon: a powerful sense of purpose. When you have elements of your life that are meaningful and truly excite you, it’s easier to avoid negative patterns and behaviors. Resilient people actively seek out new challenges and experiences—their lives aren’t just driven by luck or circumstance.

They embrace curiosity and explore different interests and hobbies, remaining open to new ideas and people. It is important to note that purpose doesn't always have to be related to a big vision; it can just be what drives you to pursue a hobby or commit a small act of service. If you want more emotional resilience, actively cultivate areas of purpose rather than passively waiting for opportunities to come your way.

🌀 Adapting to Change

Life is change. And if you’re not very good at dealing with it, you’re in for an uncomfortable ride. Resilient people don’t fear change—they embrace it and consider it a growth opportunity. They understand that life changes are unavoidable, regardless of how disruptive they can be: loved ones pass away, careers fluctuate, friendships evolve, and plans go awry.

Looking on the bright side during challenges is not just a meaningless phrase or empty affirmation—it is a crucial mental skill.

🎯 Controlling Your Attention

Emotionally resilient people have the ability to momentarily disregard their emotions and take charge of what they choose to focus on. Here are some ways to practice this:

- To break free from a negative self-image, shift your focus towards recalling past achievements.

- To overcome the fear of making mistakes, divert your attention away from a mistake and concentrate on the lessons it can teach you.

- To overcome demotivation at work, shift your attention away from distractions and keep it fixed on your keyboard.

🦋 Being Curious, Not Combative

Instead of trying to avoid difficult emotions, emotionally resilient people tend to approach them with curiosity. They actively engage with painful feelings and examine where they are coming from instead of demanding that they disappear. They acknowledge and validate their emotions, even if they are painful.

Every time you try to escape from a distressing emotion, it teaches your brain to view negative emotions as potential threats that must be monitored, eliminated, or avoided. You can be constantly hyper-aware, trying to avoid anything or anyone that might provoke these painful emotions. The relentless stress of living that way is incredibly difficult. Some people who don’t have emotional resilience will add a layer of guilt or shame when negative feelings surface, making it even harder to cope.

By cultivating an attitude of curiosity towards your emotions, you will find that they become much more manageable than you ever thought possible. In doing so, you will also discover a resilience within yourself that you may have never imagined.

The only way that we can live is if we grow.

The only way that we can grow is if we change.

The only way that we can change is if we learn.

The only way we can learn is if we are exposed.

And the only way that we can become exposed is if we throw ourselves out into the open.

Do it. Throw yourself.