Becoming equipped to follow a path of resilience

Whenever you're out in the great outdoors, you'll be faced with many a path you can take.  Steep. Stony. Steps. Narrow. Twisty. Straight. Familiar. New.

It got me thinking about the variety of paths we walk during our lifetime and how important it is to be equipped with the right tools to negotiate each one, especially as a parent responsible for not only yourself, but your little ones too.

Navigating difficult times

Maybe you are on a difficult path at the moment. You may be coping with grief or illness in the family, lacking confidence as a parent or on the verge of overwhelm with childcare. You may feel stuck in a never-ending rut or struggling with procrastination. Paths of this nature can be hard to navigate, uninviting, stressful and sometimes out of your control. There may be stones in the way which trip you up and set you back. Your path may be steep and seemingly impossible to climb. 

It can feel extremely hard to be resilient at this time, with some people wanting to let life take over. But it's important to remember that lots of the time - nothing changes, if nothing changes. So, do you want things to get better?

Tools that might support your resilience as a parent

Does your path have a handrail? If so, are you using it, or ignoring the support from which you could benefit? What is getting in the way of accepting offers of help or of helping yourself?

Being equipped with the right tools enables you to negotiate the path you are on.

In life, sometimes we need to dig deep, take the time to stop and think, gain clarity or change our perspective. Every now and then we need to learn to recharge our batteries ensuring we are functioning well, in order to tackle the specific path we are facing.

Tools you can implement to aid your resilience:

• Mindfulness or meditation – what can you do to help to clear your mind?
• Exercise – how can you incorporate manageable movement day-to-day?
• Sleep – are you getting enough?
• Setting your intentions for the day – can you take a moment at the start of the day to acknowledge what you would like to achieve and how you want to ‘be’ each day?
• Keeping a gratitude journal – what things can you be grateful for, even on a bad day?
• Confide in a friend – who can you talk to who will listen carefully to what you have going on?

Are your hands free to pick up the tools you need? Before you can pick up some useful tools to navigate your path, you may have to offload some others that you are carrying, that may not be helpful to you. 

What to leave behind:

• Negative self-talk – how can you replace negative self-talk with positive affirmations
• Unhelpful relationships – recognise relationships that leave you feeling depleted.
• Poor coping habits – what things are you relying on in order to suppress your feelings, and are they healthy?
• Addiction to social media – how can you ensure you are fully present with those around you rather than being distracted?
• Procrastination – what support do you need to get what needs doing done? 

We need to be supporting our emotional and physical well-being when facing challenges, to ensure we are fit to tackle the paths we face. 

Life Coaches work with many parents who are on difficult paths. They might be facing complicated decisions, have long-term health issues, feel stuck at a crossroads in their lives - any of which can feel like they are stuck in a rut and appreciate if they don’t do something, nothing will be different in the foreseeable future.

Some people find coaching during this time particularly helpful to transform habits, lifestyle, self-care and overall mindset - entering a space where they are held accountable to their goals, and regularly encouraged to take steps in the right direction and review the path they are on.