The Mindful Path – Resilience | Feb. 3, 2026

Recently, I met a friend for tea at a cozy coffee shop. Almost immediately, our conversation dissolved into the perils and concerns of U.S. and world events. With a sigh, my companion lamented, “I’m drowning. I’ve never felt so full of despair. This is a terrible way to start the New Year.” The conversation made me reflect on human reliance. How do people weather stormy and uncertain times? How do you manage stress?

Nurturing your body, brain, and social connections can help you build resilience and manage stress. The Department of Human Services offers these helpful suggestions:

• Develop healthy physical habits. Healthy eating, physical activity, and regular sleep can improve your physical and mental health. Overall wellness and positive habits are protective factors against despair and stress.

• Take time for yourself. Make taking care of yourself part of your daily routine. Take time to notice the good moments or do something that you enjoy, like reading a book, bird watching, talking with a friend, or listening to music.

• Look at problems from different angles. With complex societal issues and polarized ideology, try to understand different perspectives.

• Practice gratitude. Take time to note things to be thankful for each day. 2026 is the perfect year to practice being grateful as often as possible. It’s a weekly or daily habit worth developing.

• Explore your beliefs about the meaning and purpose of life. Think about how to guide your life by the principles and values that are important to you.

• Tap into your social connections and community. Surround yourself with positive, healthy people. Ask friends, family, or trusted members of your community for information or assistance when you need it. Look for cultural practices that you feel help in times of stress. Consider visiting a temple, synagogue or church to begin to develop a sense of community with like minded people.

• Manage Media. It is so easy to get caught up in turning on the news in the morning and watching hours of content. Doomscrolling, phone notifications, and news being right at your fingertips creates an environment where your brain can be constantly being exposed to negative messages. To combat this unhealthy barrage, you can set media time limits or take a news hiatus.

• Get help for mental health and substance use concerns. Talk with a health care professional if you’re having trouble coping or call Colorado Mental Health Line, dial 988.

At its core, emotional resilience is the capacity to adapt to stressors, setbacks, world events, and adversities in a way that promotes emotional integration and personal growth. It is understanding and embracing challenges by developing skills and a set of tools that can ease emotional distress. “Sometimes carrying on, just carrying on, is a superhuman achievement.” -Albert Camus

Image credit: Mark Mazar