Posted by Knowing that you need to develop your resilience might feel like another task to add to your to do list, but as my followers know, I think that resilience is a vital thing to have in your toolbox.
Being resilient isn’t just about gritting your teeth through hard times – it’s about building a foundation that naturally supports you when life gets challenging. The good news is that you don’t have to make some big song and dance about fitting it into your life: there are practical ways to build resilience that don’t require much thought, and can soon become second nature.
So this week I’m sharing my top tips for becoming more resilient, without having to think about it!
Stack your environment for success
If you set it up right, your surroundings can do a lot of the heavy lifting for resilience-building. Keep a water bottle on your desk so hydration happens automatically. Set up a space where you can go when you need time away from your desk to concentrate, or think something through.
The key is removing friction from helpful behaviour and actions. When your environment supports you, resilience becomes less about willpower and needing to consciously think about it, and becomes more about flowing with what’s already set up.
Anchor new habits to existing routines
Instead of creating entirely new habits and practices, attach resilience-building behaviours to things you already do. Take three deep breaths while your coffee brews. Do a quick body scan while brushing your teeth. Practice gratitude during your commute by noticing one good thing about your day.
These habit stacks work because they use the existing neural pathways in your brain. You already know how to make coffee and brush your teeth – you’re just adding a small resilience booster to the routine.
Build a “good enough” toolkit
Perfect self-care is the enemy of consistent self-care. Create a menu of 5-minute activities you can do when you’re struggling: a short walk, doing jumping jacks, or stepping outside for fresh air.
Having pre-decided options eliminates the mental load of figuring out what you need in the moment. When you’re stressed, you can just pick something from your list without having to think too hard about it.
Practice micro-recoveries throughout the day
Instead of waiting for a breakdown to take a break, build tiny recovery moments into your regular schedule. Set phone reminders throughout the day to stop and check in with how you’re feeling. Keep a stress ball or fidget toy on your desk. Take stairs instead of elevators when possible for movement breaks.
These micro-moments prevent stress from accumulating and keep your resilience tank from running empty. They’re so small they don’t feel like an indulgence – they just feel like natural pauses.
Set up “reset” rituals for transitions
Create simple markers that help you shift between different parts of your day. This might be changing your clothes when you get home from work, or spending two minutes tidying your desk before you start the next task on your list.
These transition rituals are like mental full stops and give your brain a moment to process and reset. They help prevent any stress from one situation from bleeding into the next, and they happen so naturally that they don’t feel like extra work.
Turn your phone into a performance tool
Your phone is already in your pocket, so you might as well make it work for you. Set up a playlist of tracks that get you fired up for when you need energy. Keep a note with your wins and achievements for when confidence takes a hit. Use your camera roll strategically – save screenshots of positive feedback, good results, or moments you want to remember.
You’re going to check your phone anyway, so these small setups mean you’re getting a mental boost rather than just doom-scrolling through negativity.
Create default responses to common stressors
Think about situations that you regularly come up against and develop standard responses. When you’re running late, your default might be texting whoever you’re meeting and taking five minutes to get your head together rather than rushing in chaotically. When work gets overwhelming, your standard response could be writing a quick brain dump of everything on your mind.
Having predetermined responses prevents you from making poor decisions when you’re already stressed. You’re essentially creating a resilience playbook for your most common challenges.
Make sleep and movement non-negotiable (but flexible)
Rather than perfect sleep and exercise routines, focus on minimum viable habits. Commit to being in bed by a certain time, even if you don’t fall asleep immediately. Commit to moving your body for 10 minutes daily, whether that’s a walk, stretching, or a run around the block.
These low-bar commitments are easier to maintain during difficult periods, and they provide the physiological foundation that makes everything else easier.
The power of automatic resilience
The great thing about these approaches is that they work even when you don’t feel like working on resilience. They become part of your life’s infrastructure rather than another thing to manage. When challenges arise, you’re not starting from scratch – you’re drawing from reserves you’ve been building without even thinking about it.
Building resilience doesn’t have to be just one more thing for you to get done. Working with your natural tendencies and existing routines means you can create a toolkit that naturally supports you through both ordinary stress and extraordinary challenges.
I talk a lot on the podcast about Resilience, so if you’d like to hear a deeper dive on the topic, take a listen to Episodes 244, 242, 229 and 214, and if you have any questions or comments, why not join my Skool community? An important part of building your resilience is having a strong network of like-minded people around you to support you, encourage you and to hold you accountable, and that’s exactly what you’ll find in the community – see you there!