resilience

The Importance of Resilience

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Resilient_Plant

Resilience is the ability to deal with change. It’s the ability to recover from setbacks or disappointments, and move on. It’s the ability to cope. And it’s important. Research indicates that resilient people are more healthy and productive, and less likely to be absent from work. Resilience is a great quality – and it’s one that can be learned and developed!

So what can you do to become more resilient? Here are a few suggestions:

  • Don’t be so hard on yourself. A lot of people are pretty hard on themselves and engage in negative “self-talk.” For instance, if something goes wrong, they might think, “I’m so stupid. I’m always making mistakes.” If you have a tendency to have these types of thoughts, try to put a stop to them. Replace the negative thoughts with facts. For instance, if you make a mistake, think, “No one is perfect. I will fix this mistake.”
  • Find a relaxing spot and spend some time there occasionally. If there’s a quiet place at work where you can go now and then to relax, take the time to do it. If there isn’t, conjure up a relaxing scene in your mind and picture yourself there. It will help you to relax and decompress.
  • Be nice to your coworkers. Smile at them, ask questions, and listen to what they have to say. Your coworkers will most likely respond in a positive, friendly fashion, which will help to improve your mood and productivity.
  • Go for a walk with your coworkers. Walking with your coworkers will help you to build stronger relationships with them. And people with strong relationships have better resilience.
  • Keep a log of the things that you’re grateful for. Focusing on these things will help you to feel strong and positive throughout the day.

 

Landro, L. (2016, February 16). Why learning to be resilient is good for your health. The Wall Street Journal, p. D2.

 

How to Be Resilient

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Pansy

In 2016, I wrote an article about the importance of resilience. And it’s even more important today. Although many of us are working from home, and we’re grateful to have that opportunity, the pandemic has made life and work more stressful and exhausting.

Being resilient can help to make this challenging situation a little better. Resilience is the ability to deal with change. It’s the ability to recover from setbacks or disappointments, and move on. It’s the ability to cope.

In the 2016 article, I offered a few suggestions on how you can become more resilient, including one recommendation (taking a walk with your coworkers) that isn’t possible for most of us right now. So I thought it might be a good idea to present an updated list. After searching online, I found a recent article by psychologist Jennifer Guttman that I thought provided some good suggestions. To become more resilient, she recommends you take the following steps:

  • Be honest about yourself – Try to identify your strengths and weaknesses. What types of things are easy for you? What things are hard? Once you’ve done that, you should try to build on your strengths. For example, if you’re good at solving problems, try to enhance that skill even more. Or if you’re great at helping others, start volunteering to develop that skill further. Accomplishing these goals and building on your strengths will make you feel confident. And those strengths will help you to be better prepared when dealing with tough situations.
  • Work on your coping skills – If you find it hard to cope when negative things happen, you should do what you can to strengthen your existing coping skills and adopt new ones. Do some research on various coping skills (like exercising and meditating), and try to put them into practice. If you have an arsenal of coping skills that you know will work for you, you’ll feel more strong, secure, and prepared.
  • Try to be optimistic – This is much easier said than done! But try to focus on the positive, if possible. Optimistic people tend to be much better at dealing with challenges and overcoming hardship.
  • Try to stay calm – Panicking or getting angry does not improve your situation. It only makes it harder for you to clearly assess the problem and start working on a solution. Take deep breaths, and remind yourself that things will get better. You just need to take it one step at a time.
  • Reach out to others – Call your friends and family. Talk to them about what you’ve been experiencing. Don’t try to put on a brave face. Be honest with them. Allow them to comfort you, and try to comfort them in return. Helping other people can make you feel better, and enhance your feelings of confidence and resilience.

…

Guttman, J. (2020, October 15). Resilience: How it can improve your mental health. Psychology Today. Retrieved from: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/sustainable-life-satisfaction/202010/resilience-how-it-can-help-improve-your-mental-health

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