When looking at what makes emotionally resilient people resilient, you tend to find that they have that care free, "go with the flow" type attitude about them. Late for work? "No point worrying, I'll get there when I get there". Low mark on a test? "Ok, which areas do I need to revise?". It's this flexibility that makes them able to adapt to situations quicker, find solutions easier and be less effected by negative life events. In general they are usually much happier people and tend to be more enjoyable to be around.

For many of us this trait does not come as easy. Instead, what we may find easy is getting fixated on certain behaviours, thoughts and feelings; unable to move on, compromise or let things go. Which ends up causing us more pain and frustration the longer we hold on to it.

Interestingly, there is an area of the brain we can partially blame for our stubbornness, called the anterior cingulate gyrus (ACG). This area, which is involved in shifting attention and focus, is overactive in those of us who struggle with mental flexibility. An overreactive ACG means our attention can be fixed to one thing, making it difficult to move on or adapt.

Luckily there are some strategies you can use to help develop your flexibility;

• Increase your Serotonin levels
  ‍A study has found that the ACG is more overreactive when a person is deficient in serotonin. You can increase your levels of serotonin by exposing yourself to sunlight, eating foods which contain tryptophan, such as chicken, nuts, eggs and green peas, and by exercising.
• Do something different
  Switching up our routines and interrupting the automatic way we do things is a great way to improve our mental flexibility. Shake things up a bit and avoid living a predictable lifestyle, so that you can practice the ability to adapt and improvise more often.
• Stop a thought
  ‍As soon as you find yourself fixated or ruminating on a singular event or thought quickly shift your attention to something else. Sing, dance, recite the alphabet, or even visualise a stop sign, anything to interrupt your current thoughts and prevent yourself from being trapped in a cycle of negative thinking.

Try using and implementing these 3 simple strategies into your life to improve your cognitive flexibility, so that you can effectively adapt and cope with negative situations thoughts and feelings.

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