How I Built Resilience as a Tender Soul: 7 Gentle Life Practices
By Irma Hot / 9 April 2025
Almost everyone faces life challenges that test their inner strength.
As a tender soul, I’ve felt these struggles deeply.
Over time, I learned that nurturing resilience can help me navigate life with calm, patience, and self-compassion.
In this post, I’ll share seven personal strategies that helped me develop resilience.
These practices are gentle, practical, and can inspire tender souls to find inner strength.
What Resilience Means to Me
Resilience isn’t just bouncing back. For me, it’s the ability to stay flexible in thoughts, feelings, and behaviors when life changes unexpectedly — emerging stronger, wiser, and more able.
Pemberton (2015) defines resilience as:
"Capacity to remain flexible in our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors when faced with life disruption or extended periods of pressure, so that we emerge from difficulty stronger, wiser, and more able."
For tender souls, resilience means honoring feelings, seeking support, and quietly finding your own way forward.
7 Ways I Nurtured My Resilience
1. Sleeping Well
Getting at least eight hours of sleep makes me physically and mentally stronger.
Without enough rest, even small stressors feel overwhelming.
Tip: Create a calming bedtime routine: dim lights, soft music, or journaling.
2. Walking in Nature
Walking in parks or near trees helps me feel grounded and resilient.
Nature reduces stress and restores emotional balance.
3. Sharing My Struggles
Opening up to family or health professionals lifts emotional weight.
Expressing vulnerability isn’t weakness — it’s courage.
4. Writing My Thoughts and Feelings
Journaling or online diary writing allows me to process emotions and cope better.
Writing about feelings strengthens resilience.
5. Accepting My Current Feelings
I allow myself to feel fully, even uncomfortable emotions.
Sitting with sadness or frustration helps me emerge stronger.
"Where there is no struggle, there is no strength." – Oprah Winfrey
6. Practicing Optimistic Thinking
Shifting perspective toward positivity, even in small ways, strengthens resilience.
Reading uplifting articles and recalling past successes helps me cope with challenges.
7. Allowing Myself to Weep
Crying releases emotional weight and restores calm.
Afterward, I feel lighter, more connected to inner strength, and ready to move forward.
Additional Gentle Practices
Creative expression: Drawing, painting, or music soothes the heart.
Mindfulness & meditation: Even a few minutes daily keeps me centered.
Professional guidance: Leaning on therapists or counselors is invaluable.
Q1: What if I can’t sleep eight hours?
A: Even 6–7 hours of restful sleep is beneficial. Consistency matters more than perfection.
Q2: How do I know if I’m becoming more resilient?
A: Notice small signs — challenges feel slightly easier, emotions stabilize faster, and recovery is gentler.
Q3: Can sensitive people build resilience?
A: Absolutely. Being sensitive allows reflection, deep feeling, and authentic connection — all strengths for resilience.
A Gentle Invitation
If you’re a tender soul, my Letters for Letting Go bundle is crafted for you.
These letters help release emotional weight, nurture your heart, and support inner strength — softly, gently and safely.
This post is part of irmica.com’s gentle emotional series, offering letter bundles, breakup healing guides, and soft templates for quiet creators navigating grief, growth, or unspoken love.
💬 You are warmly welcome to quote this post or excerpt this writing with credit.
Please cite as: Irma Hot or link to https://irmica.com when sharing.
Thank you for holding gentle words with care. 🌸
References
Pemberton, C. (2015). Resilience: A practical guide for coaches. Open University Press.
Bratman, G. N., et al. (2015). Nature experience reduces rumination and subgenual prefrontal cortex activation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 112(28), 8567–8572.
Smyth, J. M. (1998). Written emotional expression: Effect sizes, outcome types, and moderating variables. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 66(1), 174–184.
