Life is a rollercoaster. Today we are high in spirit, the next minute we are devasted and even wished to be swallowed by the earth. That’s how life seem to be and sadly, we as humans, can do little or nothing to alter or prevent the “dynamics of life”. It’s even painful that most often we don’t get what we want and it seems we always face the worse or worst.
Well, in as much as we cannot do anything about the unforseen occurrences of life, we can build resilience and Psychological (Mental) tenacity to sail through the tussles of life. There are many Psychological mechanisms an individual can put in place to build a strong “mental fortress to stand the test of time of life”.
This part of the article seeks to look at the physiological (Physical) Outlook in times of crises
Our body posture and exuberance can go a long way to create the endurance we need to face challenges in life and to have a brighter perspective of the future.
Now, let’s carry out this simple exercise. Take a mirror and pose exactly how you act or look when you feel anxious, sad, afraid, or troubled. Take a close notice of your posture.
Now take a different look at yourself in the mirror when you feel ecstatic and very confident with no worries, perhaps as if you’ve just received a great news.
Now compare the two postures or body outlooks.
You would realise that the first posture was pathetic. Your eyes were not fully opened, your face might be down, you looked as if you were hiding, your face looked sullen, and your legs, shrunk.
Conversely, your second posture was that of exuberance, with your eyes wide open, your head up and with a broad smiling face.
No matter the situation we might face in life, let’s try our best to look like the latter of the two postures. If we do, we would only appear to be “Psychological tough” Until the problem vanishes or the situation gets better without even our notice. When you appear confident and balanced in posture during trying times, we send a very positive energy out so that we keep “alive” to find lasting solutions to the problem or situation.
It’s about learning not to turn away from what is painful, and instead, turning toward your suffering to live a life full of meaning and purpose. This is what Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (or ACT) is all about, and it is at the core of what we call psychological flexibility: The ability to accept our pain and live life as we desire, with our pain when there is pain.
We can transform our lives by seeking not to eradicate our difficult thoughts and emotions, or numb them away, but to cultivate psychological flexibility, which allows us to accept them for what they are and not let them rule our lives. It is what we do that matters, and that gives us the means to live in a way that is richly meaningful to us, despite even the hardest of life’s challenges. So, no matter the situation, let’s look positive and full of life to create that “atmosphere” to fight every “temporary problem we may face in life”
Mr. Hko (Grammarian, Counselor)
The Life - Mr. Hko 