Harvard psychologist: If you use any of these 9 phrases every day, ‘you’re more emotionally resilient than most’

Emotionally resilient people are deliberate in their response to painful experiences. They allow themselves to grieve, remind themselves of what they are grateful for, and focus on what they can control in the moment.

But as a Harvard-trained psychologist, I’ve seen so many people struggle with this. It takes effort, practice and mental strength.

If you use any of these 10 phrases every day, you are more emotionally resilient than most:

Emotional resilience is associated with grit and mental toughness. There is an understanding that we have to be strong and overcome adversity without letting it break us.

Similar phrase: “As much as I hate this, I can survive it.”

Being resilient means that when you experience the pain of mistreatment, you shift your perspective from “I’m a victim and powerless to help myself” to “How can I grow from this?”

Similar phrase: “Even though I was a victim in this situation, I won’t let it define me or ruin my future.”

Resilience is associated with a basic acceptance that life isn’t always fair, and that we all experience emotional hardships. Accepting this truth helps people to not take things as personally when undesirable events happen.

Similar phrase: “I won’t always be happy with how things play out. But it’s part of the journey.”

Resilient people believe that setbacks and challenges can feel horrible in the moment, but that nothing in life is permanent. It doesn’t mean that the pain will go away entirely, but it does mean that we can work to make them less traumatic and damaging to us over time.

Similar phrase: “Each day is an opportunity to feel a little better.”

Openness to experiences and the ability to shift your perspective from “Why did this happen to me?” to “What can I take from this to help me grow?” can help you better navigate through life’s inevitable ups and downs.

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