Most people want to feel strong, be respected and feel safe. Some people think that in order to be resilient and confident one needs to be strong externally. Try to impress others, be arrogant, tough etc. This is why some people go to the gym, get big muscles etc. So that no one will dare to attack them or mess with them. But when someone wants to have real resilience, they also must have internal strength. Internal strength will give a person the ability to make it through the challenges of this human journey without being knocked out, without feeling hopeless. A person with internal strength will not lose purpose or direction in this human journey.

What is resilience?

Resilience- a person’s ability to cope with the ups and downs of life. This includes how a person deals with the challenges they might face throughout this human journey. It could include the death of a loved one, a difficult disease, a heartbreak, in essence losing something or someone who is very dear. And this will happen to every single person sooner or later while we are in this temporary material world.

Why is resilience important?

Resilience is important for everyone’s mental health but also for their physical, emotional and spiritual health. It’s a life skill that once it is developed will serve us very well until the end of this current human journey. It is thought that the more resilient a person is, the less they experience stress as they are equipped to deal with life’s pressures.

Building resilience helps a person to overcome obstacles more easily and reduces fears and insecurities as they will have the necessary tools and knowledge how to navigate the challenges that can appear during this human journey.

How to help develop resilience and simultaneously reduce fear and insecurities

1. WISDOM OF OUR REAL IDENTITY The ultimate foundation of resilience is a spiritual perspective which is founded on the knowledge that I am an eternal spiritual being residing within a temporary material body. Identifying with the body as being the self will cause unnecessary fears and insecurities. But discovering my true identity and nature will lead to harmony and lasting joy.
2. WISDOM ON THE NATURE OF THIS WORLD. Life is challenging and unpredictable. Trying to avoid misfortune and difficulty with wishful thinking is not a winning strategy. Instead of trying to erase misfortune and unwanted change, learning how to deal with it is of great importance. We all need a realistic view of life. A human journey during this time on planet earth is tough but that doesn’t have to mean it’s depressing.
3. Set reasonable goals and move toward them one step at a time. Establishing goals will help a person focus on a specific task and can help build the resilience to move forward in the face of challenges.
4. Accept change. See that change is unavoidable in this temporary world. New goals can replace goals that have become unattainable. It is important to examine what is going well, and to have a plan of action for what is not going well.
5. Maintain a daily routine: Wake-up, Short Prayer & Gauranga Meditation, Exercise, Read Scripture, Help others, prayer and Gauranga meditation before going to bed.
6. Serenity Prayer is key. Faith in the Supreme Lord.
7. Prayerful introspection: Our materialistic mind can be so full of envy, greed, lust, anger and hatred and cover my spiritual qualities. If I am honest in my introspection, I might begin to realize that I cannot defeat the feelings of lust, my enviousness, or my laziness. I cannot defeat my anger and my hatred that is polluting the sacred place where You sit. The Lord is in the heart. But there are many dirty things in our heart also. These are polluting this holy place. This is not a place where there is supposed to be pollution. Our hearts are not supposed to have anger, hatred, greed. We can pray to the Supreme Lord: “And I am suffering, because my relationship with You is being polluted by me being covered by my false ego. Therefore I am feeling very disturbed. Please be merciful unto me, please help me get rid of this out of my heart."
8. Moving into the Light: The Supreme Lord is the perfection, the embodiment of spiritual love. This pollution is darkness. Darkness cannot be smashed away with a hammer. Rather where there is light, there is darkness no more. Therefore we ask the Supreme Lord, please stay in our hearts. Please let me have a heart which is full of love. Please let me love You. And everything will be light. We pray to You for spiritual love. Spiritual love is strength. Don't forget this. When there is no spiritual love in the heart, there is weakness, intolerance, fear, no purpose, no direction to one's life. There is no foundation to one's life. When love for the Supreme Lord is there, confidence is there. There is purpose. There is tolerance. These are some of the fruits of love for the Supreme Lord.
9. Knowing Who to Depend on: I cannot do it all by myself. A person should pray to the Supreme Lord for spiritual love, for His mercy upon us. That we can have His strength. We want spiritual strength, not physical strength. When spiritual strength is the foundation of our life, we then live as free souls in this life and the next. A weak person is never free. Only the strong are free. The weak are dominated by their fears, lusts, greed, envy and their hatred. Some people who are full of hate appear very strong and very confident. But they are neither strong nor truly confident. The ones who pose as strong, angry and confident have their real character exposed at the time of death. Then they are nothing more than frightened animals. That is not strength. There is an old song "All you need is love." It is true. Not love as we know it in this world. All you need is real love. All you need is connecting with the Supreme Lord in love.

In summary, when we know who is the real controller, then we will not be struggling anymore to try to control everything and everyone. I just do the best I can and depend on the Supreme Lord for the rest. We will not be afraid of not being able to control our future. I will not feel insecure anymore because I know the Supreme Lord loves me unconditionally and will always protect me no matter what might happen in this ever changing world. This wisdom is truly liberating.