When things go splat, as they occasionally will, how do you react? Are you able to recover and even find the humor in the situation?

How we react to stressful circumstances depends in large part on our resilience. For parents, resilience is crucial — in fact, it’s one of the “Five Protective Factors” that family psychologists have identified as key to creating strong families and eliminating child abuse.

Luckily, anyone can increase their resilience. Here are a few ideas to help you hard-boil your eggs ahead of time, if you will, so even when your juggling act falls short, you can bounce back quickly.

• Meditate or pray. Taking a moment to breathe, pay attention to how you’re feeling and see the bigger picture can make impossible-seeming circumstances much more manageable.
• Prioritize sleep and rest. This is easier said than done when you have young children but important nonetheless. In fact, going to bed even if the house isn’t spotless or the to-do list isn’t finished provides kids with a positive example of how to prioritize their health and take care of themselves.
• Keep a “Top 10” list of things that feed your soul (i.e., going for a walk, eating your favorite food, listening to inspirational music or playing with a pet). On a stressful day, pull out the list and do one or more of the things on the list.
• Practice gratitude. When you find yourself in crisis mode, take a second to identify three things that you’re grateful for.
• Recognize what you’re already doing well as a parent. No matter how numerous your failures may seem, you are doing better than you think.
• Reflect on the skills you’ve used to overcome difficult circumstances in the past.
• Incorporate hobbies and exercise into your routine. If you need a place to start, check out your local United Way community center. They offer classes like Zumba, adult music lessons and martial arts.

As you build your resilience as a person and a parent, your family will grow stronger and you’ll find your daily juggle a little easier to manage.

Avery Stonely is the EveryDay Learners operations manager for United Way of Utah County.