How to Build Resilience in Kids

We’re in a surge. As Omicron roars on, families are forced to endure the ongoing challenges associated with an unending pandemic. We keep hearing the word, resilience.

The concept of resilience is the ability to engage with a challenge and emerge with a measure of success. It’s a psychological principle blending optimism, flexibility, problem-solving and motivation. It’s what you got through determination - beating a better team or earning a better grade than what you prepared for. It’s your bounce-back factor when times get tough.

“Resilient people not only bounce back, but also thrive in the best of times.” said Dr. Kenneth Ginsburg, a pediatrician and the author of the American Academy of Pediatrics’s book “Building Resilience in Children and Teens.”

Never has resilience been more important. So how do we foster it? One way is through yoga. What we learn on the mat translates to life off the mat.

• Start with support. Stability matters. No one can take risks if they don’t feel safe. Love your kids no matter what.
• Be flexible. If the pandemic has taught us anything it’s adapt and adapt quickly!
• Regulate your emotions. They can’t be stable if you’re not stable. Show them how.
• Balance your energy. Your kids learn from how you handle situations.
• Keep it simple. Small moments build big muscles for overcoming frustration and disappointments. Allow kids to feel their feelings and recover.
• Stretch! Get outside of your comfort zone. Resiliency is about balancing success and failure. It’s doing things you’re not sure you can do.

With a safe foundation and challenges that build endurance, we can thrive. If we can’t roll with the punches, life will be very hard.