Building resilience with mindfulness
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EmailResilience is key to handling life’s challenges.
Have you ever wished you could respond more intentionally to emotions, environmental triggers or stress-inducing situations?
According to the American Psychological Association (APA), “a number of factors contribute to how well people adapt to adversities”- in other words, how resilient one is. Additionally, the APA states that “psychological research demonstrates that the resources and skills associated with resilience can be cultivated and practiced.” Mindfulness practice can help build resilience to stressors. As a result, a resilient person can respond more constructively to life’s challenges. The ability to stay balanced or poised when life throws a curveball is a key skill. Resilience is valuable — whether the challenge is small, life-changing or long-lasting.
In Deborah Schoeberlein's book, Mindful Teaching and Teaching Mindfulness: A Guide for Anyone Who Teaches Anything, mindfulness is described as an effective tool that helps develop sensitivity, self-calming and the ability to manage suffering and recovery.
Mindfulness supports the development of awareness of sensory stimulation, both inside the body and in the surrounding environment. When we practice noticing and observing our experiences, we can recognize potential challenges sooner, giving us more time to prepare and respond. This practice offers the training needed to develop calming skills and slow down habitual reactions to stressful situations. These habitual responses might include intense anger, emotional shutdown, negative thinking, or overthinking. Mindfulness practice takes us out of this automatic loop of unhelpful emotional reactions by essentially rewiring the brain through a process referred to as neuroplasticity, or the brain’s ability to grow and adapt to new experiences.
Practicing mindfulness is like having an internal pause button. It allows you to slow down and truly notice what’s happening in the moment. Mindfulness helps align your thoughts with your emotions, promoting a more balanced and intentional response. Schoeberlein refers to this as the heart of resilience: directly experiencing both comfortable and uncomfortable emotions and sensations in the most constructive way possible.
Mindfulness allows you to stay grounded and acknowledge emotional or physical pain without letting it define you. It reminds us that experiences and feelings are temporary and can change over time. This awareness naturally supports faster recovery from adversity and helps people return to a balanced state more quickly.
Practicing mindfulness in a gentle, non-judgmental way is not always easy. Like any skill, it requires a willing attitude and consistent practice. Michigan State University Extension offers a variety of mindfulness and stress reduction programs. For more free mindfulness resources and learning opportunities to support your journey, visit MSU Extension's Mindfulness for Better Living website.
