Coping with Stress By Channeling Your Inner Resiliency: A Workshop with Hiren Khemlani

Hi everyone!

My name is Kat and I am currently completing my fifth year at Carleton University. Last week I had the pleasure of attending a resiliency workshop led by esteemed psychologist, Hiren Khemlani, and our Illuminate Universe founder, Alina Huang. Since the unique and transformative experience, I figured I share a few of Hiren’s central insights:

My first takeaway from his workshop was that resiliency is no different than a muscle, it can be trained and strengthened to cope with intense emotions and encourages the host to regain control of their behavior. Secondly, Hiren followed up with how resiliency impacts unwanted behavior, specifically how unhelpful thinking is the primary cause of procrastination. Since the pandemic, I have found it increasingly difficult to bounce back from these daily negative recurrences, however, Hiren brought to my attention that change is possible, especially with regards to how one thinks. Lastly, Hiren suggested practicing daily positivity to enhance one's resilience. For example, looking at stressful conditions as an opportunity for growth. This strategy trains the brain to absorb daily positive occurrences more frequently than negative ones and thus builds a more resilient individual.

What I loved most about this workshop was how engaging it was despite its online presentation. Additionally, as an individual who struggles with intense and quick changing emotions, as well as a plethora of anxieties which often impact my ability to work, it is essential for me to feel supported by my employer. By providing this compulsory training, I know that Illuminate Universe has my best interests at heart, both in health and in performance. Thank you :)