What is Resilience?

Resilience is the ability to positively adapt to and rebound from significant adversity and the stress it creates.

Becoming resilient helps you work through difficult events, but it also helps you grow and improve your life even in the absence of adversity. Being resilient doesn’t mean that you won’t experience stressful or challenging life events, but rather that you will be better able to cope with them when they do occur.

Some people refer to resilience as “bouncing back,” but it’s more than that. Being resilient includes learning from past experiences and developing new coping strategies moving forward. It’s about building your personal resources so that can you feel more flexible, optimistic and in control of your environment.

  • Key Characteristics of Resilience

    Resilient individuals:

    • Have positive self-perceptions
    • Have a high level of emotional intelligence and effectively manage their emotions
    • Are aware of situations, their own reactions and the behaviour of others
    • Understand and accept that life is full of challenges
    • Believe that they have control over the outcome of their lives
    • Are open-minded and flexible in thinking style and problem solving
    • Have a high level of motivation and optimism
    • Actively face fears and problems
    • Build strong social supports
    • Have reasonable persistence, coupled with knowledge of when enough is enough
    • Are able to ask for help.
  • Why are some people more resilient than others?

    Resilience varies from person to person due to different life situations and it can fluctuate throughout the lifespan due to changes in experience and circumstance.

    Some factors which impact upon resilience include:

    • Individual health and wellbeing
    • Sense of self and sense of purpose in life
    • Individual factors such as genetics, personality, ethnicity and economic background
    • Degree of social and community connectedness
    • Life history and past experiences
    • The magnitude of the stressor.
  • Key Steps to Building Resilience

    Resilience is not a personality trait that you either have or you don’t have, but rather a trait that we all have the potential to develop. With intention and practice, you can become more resilient.

    The below steps can assist you to develop and build resilience:

    Step 1: Adjust your thought process
    During times of crisis there is a tendency for the mind to wander and get caught up in thinking negatively, making it harder to see the bigger picture and the positive, creative possibilities in front of you. Positive thinking will help you focus on hope and visualize better times ahead.

    When you feel flooded with negative thoughts:

    • Say them out loud and talk through them – this helps them to lose their power
    • Offer three positive alternative thoughts.

     

    Step 2: Learn Coping Skills
    Developing a toolbox of coping skills can assist us to work through the emotional shifts we are likely to experience during a crisis in an adaptive way.

    Try:

    • Deep breathing or mindful breathing – to help calm the central nervous system
    • Meditation (link to webpage) – to clear your mind of stress and visualize positive outcomes
    • Daily exercise – exercise is a natural stress reliever. It can provide a rush of a chemical called endorphins, which improves mood and can distract you from your negative thoughts.

     

    Step 3: Build Your Connections
    Feeling supported by others will help you through difficult times. Building a healthy social support network of people who make you feel good will help you feel less alone in times of need. Could be anyone including friends, family, work colleagues, support groups, sporting clubs etc.

    Step 4: Focus on Physical Wellness
    Stress can negatively impact your immune system, making you more susceptible to illness, which in turn can affect your emotional state. Maintaining your physical wellness plays an important role in building resilience.

    Take a whole-person approach to self-care – care for both your body and your mind.

    • Prioritise sleep
    • Focus on healthy eating and hydration (link to Nutrition page)
    • Remain active (link to exercise page)

References:

Caraniche at Work
Everyday Health
WayAhead