Resilience Redefined: 5 Daily Practices for Navigating Challenges
Hello, I’m Cristi Bundukamara, and I want to share something deeply personal with you. Like many of you, I’ve experienced the heart-wrenching loss. While my professional background is in psychiatric nursing, the most important part of my story is that I’ve been where you might be right now – in the depths of grief and pain. In this blog, I’ll take you through the five daily practices that helped me find the strength to carry on and helped build my resilience daily, even when everything seemed impossible. My journey is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit, and I hope these practices can help you on your own path to healing.
Set a Daily Intention
First thing in the morning, I set my daily intention. When I was in the throes of grief, that intention wasn’t about finding instant happiness; it was often just about mustering the strength to choose life for one more day. Whether your intention is as simple as getting out of bed or finding something positive to hold onto, setting it is your first step toward moving forward.
Find Your Daily Happy Moments for Resilience
When facing challenges, happiness can feel like a distant memory. I get it. Some days, I didn’t even remember what happiness felt like. But I made a conscious effort to find those daily happy moments. For me, it’s often the sound of a genuine laugh or a message of love from a friend or family member. Even remembering a happy moment with my lost child became a source of solace.
Positive Self Talk
Grief and other life challenges have a way of amplifying negative self-talk, and that’s something I’ve battled with. I’ve had moments when I questioned my abilities as a mother, replaying the ‘what-ifs’ and ‘should-haves’ in my mind. But every day, I make a choice to engage in positive self-talk. I replace self-blame with affirmations of my love and sacrifices as a parent. It’s a daily practice, but it’s vital for healing.
Resilience is Self-Love in Action
Self-love isn’t just a feeling; it’s about taking tangible actions that prioritize your well-being. For me, self-love involved revisiting a childhood passion: gymnastics. At almost 50, I joined an adult gymnastics class, an act of self-love that reminded me of my own worth. Consider what self-love means to you and what actions you can take to honor yourself.
Take Time to Reflect
At the end of each day, I engage in reflection, which sometimes includes controlled grief. It’s a time to evaluate my daily practices, acknowledging my progress and planning for further improvement. Controlled grief is a way to honor my pain without letting it consume me. By reflecting, I recognize the positive changes I’ve made and prepare for the journey ahead.
I share these five daily practices not as a way to erase the challenges we face in life – that’s something none of us can ever fully do. Instead, these practices are tools to help you find the strength and grace to move forward. Healing is a journey, and it’s okay to seek support from loved ones and professionals along the way. Remember, you are not alone in your struggle. With time and these daily practices, you can rebuild your life, find moments of peace, and even experience joy.
Believe in yourself, as I believe in you. Together, we are mentally strong. Let’s embrace this journey together.
Learn more about mental strength through the Mentally STRONG Academy HERE.
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